Insurers and employers — who pay the bulk of the cost for drugs — say that a bigger financial shock has come from a largely overlooked source: expensive anti-inflammatory medications like Humira and Enbrel, drugs taken by millions of people for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. In recent years, the price of the medications have doubled, making them the costliest drug class in the country by some calculations.
Now, one of the most powerful forces on the side of drug payers is pushing back. On Thursday, Express Scripts, the nation's largest drug benefits manager, said it was recommending that insurers and employers initially cover a more narrow range of drugs for many inflammatory conditions. The idea is that drug makers will be forced to compete on price to become one of the preapproved options.
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