Dive Brief:
- Express Scripts has terminated its relationship with Linden Care Pharmacy, because Linden Care mainly dispensed Horizon Pharma drugs and did not fulfill the network agreement. Express Scripts is the largest pharmacy-benefits manager (PBM) in the United States.
- Express Scripts has filed a suit against Horizon Pharma in a Delaware Court.
- The CEO of Horizon Pharma, Timothy P. Walbert, has accused Express Scripts of 'profiteering' by controlling prescription flow to various specialty and mail-order pharmacies, thereby muscling smaller independent pharmacies out of the market.
Dive Insight:
As Express Scripts said a little over a week ago, the company is on alert for suspect biopharma-specialty pharmacy relationships. This parallels the situation between Valeant and Philidor—a specialty pharmacy with which Valeant recently severed ties.
A week ago, the focus was on AbbVie and Teva; but apparently Horizon Pharma and Linden Care also raised concerns. Express Scripts questioned the nature of how the medications were being processed and ended its relationship with the network pharmacy.
For its part, Linden Care has filed a legal complaint in the U.S. District Court in Albany, NY. The company would like a stay order halting the termination in order to ensure patients can obtain their medications, arguing patients may not be physically able to access them otherwise.
This seems to be the beginning of a larger trend of deeper oversight over specialty pharmacies.