, Columnist
Pharma Gets the Worst of Both Drug-Pricing Worlds
Growth is slowing dramatically, but the political pressure isn't.
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Pharma's pricing power just isn't what it used to be, and it's probably not going to recover any time soon.
Pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) Express Scripts Holding Co. last week reported a record-low 1.5 percent increase in drug spending by commercial health insurance plans in 2017. It also said per-beneficiary drug spending fell for many commercial plans and gave a discouraging forecast -- for drugmakers, anyway -- for the years ahead.