Pharmacy Middlemen Altering Business Models, PhRMA Report Says

Pharmacy middlemen are shifting their profit models from rebates to fees and pushing patients to the pharmacies they own, drug manufacturers said Monday.

The findings of a research study funded by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America are aimed at ensuring that legislation or other actions taken by policymakers take into account changed business models and don’t just focus on rebates, Robert Zirkelbach, executive vice president of public affairs and strategic initiatives, said in a telephone press briefing.

The focus of much of the criticism of the pharmacy benefit management industry in recent years has been directed toward practices ...