Pharmacy Groups, Retail Pharmacies File Suit To Bar Merger of Express Scripts, Medco

The merger of pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts Inc. and Medco Health Solutions Inc. violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by significantly reducing competition in the pharmacy services and drug benefit management market, according to a complaint filed March 29 in a federal court in Pennsylvania (National Ass’n of Chain Drug Stores v. Express Scripts Inc.).

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), and nine retail pharmacy companies filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, seeking a court order to block the ...