States Keep Legal Pressure on PBMs Ahead of Potential FTC Suit

States are charging ahead with drug price-fixing lawsuits against pharmacy benefit managers, viewing the litigation as a more effective way to provide direct relief to local taxpayers than potential federal action would be.

Vermont is the latest to sue, last week accusing CVS Health Corp.'s Caremark and Evernorth’s Express Scripts of inflating drug prices.

Caremark, Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx Inc. dominate prescription drug coverage for US health plans and employers, making up nearly 80% of the market.

The Federal Trade Commission is expected to file its own suit against those major PBMs, but states aren’t backing down.

“What ...