Public data on the drug supply chain
The easiest way to counteract opacity is transparency. Each analysis here answers one question about who pays what for drugs in the United States, from federal filings, with the method and the data open.
The employers paying one company for both
295 self-funded health plans buy pharmacy benefits and medical administration from the same conglomerate. 3.29 million employees. $620 million in disclosed PBM compensation. Every row links to the Form 5500 filing.
Does acquisition cost fall after Cost Plus adds a generic?
1,069 generics Cost Plus added, against 773 it never carried. Raw, they cost pharmacies 10.5% less a year later. Most of that gap was opening before entry. The effect holds only for generics over $1 a unit.
One molecule, eight Medicare prices, one cash price
Medicare Part B pays $2.35 to $13.15 per mg of ustekinumab depending on the label. Two biosimilars cost more than Stelara. Starjemza has no Part B code and sells for $360 a syringe at Cost Plus. All 101 US biosimilars, priced.
Who your employer pays for pharmacy
Self-funded employers with 1,000 or more employees, their PBM, and the disclosed fees, by metro.