US House Oversight Chair Questions PBM Leaders’ Testimony (2)

The chairman of a US congressional panel investigating prescription drug middlemen accused top industry executives of making false statements in testimony last month.

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, wrote to executives at CVS Health Corp., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Cigna Group Wednesday asking them to correct remarks they made during a July hearing.

Pharmacy benefit managers have been under intensifying scrutiny in Washington, particularly since they’ve merged with larger entities that also control pharmacies, health plans and clinics. Industry representatives maintain that PBMs are a crucial counterweight to the pricing power of drug manufacturers.

During the hearing, the PBM executives said that they don’t steer patients to their own pharmacies or pay them more favorable rates. Comer said those statements contradicted evidence unearthed by his own committee and the US Federal Trade Commission, which is independently investigating drug middlemen.

A spokesperson for Cigna’s Express Scripts unit said the company stands behind the testimony and refutes the letter’s allegations. A CVS spokesperson said the company is reviewing the letter. A UnitedHealth representative didn’t comment.

Comer asked the three executives to “correct the record” by Sept. 11.

(Updates with Cigna response in fifth paragraph.)

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John Tozzi in New York at jtozzi2@bloomberg.net

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Anne Cronin, John Lauerman

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