Woonsocket, Rhode Island - based CVS has been transforming itself into a health - care business for years, propelled by its acquisition of
the Caremark pharmacy benefit manager platform in 2007.
As the owner of
the Caremark pharmacy benefits manager (which negotiates reimbursement rates with drugmakers on behalf of employers), CVS benefits from a steady flow of customers coming into its stores as they get pick up prescriptions.
Not exact matches
Consider: CVS is also one of the largest
pharmacy benefit managers in the country through its
Caremark arm, so insurance coverage, filling prescriptions, and treating chronic health conditions like diabetes could all be housed under one company.
For one thing, the discount retailer does not have the same clout with drugmakers as CVS (which also operates
pharmacy benefits manager giant
Caremark), impeding its ability to get the best prices and make a profit.
CVS, which operates
pharmacy benefits manager Caremark, the second largest PBM after Express Scripts (esrx), is launching a new program in April that will among other things limit the use of Jublia, CVS Chief Medical Officer Troyen Brennan told Bloomberg.
Under the deal, Walgreens won't take ownership of the Valeant drugs but instead hold them on consignment until delivery, a move that could marginalize
pharmacy benefits managers such as CVS»
Caremark unit.
In fact, despite the best efforts of a group of companies called
pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), such as CVS
Caremark and Express Scripts, mail order
pharmacies only fill a paltry 1 out of every 10 prescriptions.
CVS /
Caremark, the
pharmacy benefits manager, notified Valeant several weeks before the pill's introduction that it would not cover Addyi at the $ 800 price, according to a letter Sprout shareholders sent to Valeant in March.
CVS
Caremark, the in - house
pharmacy benefit manager for CVS, has been accused of squeezing small
pharmacies, driving some out of business.