FTC Complaint Alleges Insulin Middlemen Artificially Inflated Prices

Some companies pushed back on the accusations, saying the accusations show that the government doesn’t understand how drug pricing works.

A woman with diabetes gives herself an insulin injection. ShutterStock

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing major pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) for allegedly artificially inflating the price of insulin, the agency announced on Sept. 20.

Three PBMs—CVS Health’s Caremark, Cigna’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group’s Optum—“created a perverse drug rebate system that prioritizes high rebates from drug manufacturers,” the FTC said in a statement.