1. In Vivo
  2. >>Business Strategy

And Then There Was One

SB's decision to sell its DPS pharmacy benefit management business leaves Merck as the only drug company still owning its own PBM. It also creates a powerhouse PBM in the managed care marketplace.

SmithKline Beecham 's announcement that it was selling off its non-core businesses in clinical labs and pharmacy benefit management comes as no surprise and represents simply the latest in the dismantling of the broader vision of the pharmaceutical industry. SmithKline, along with Merck & Co.and Eli Lilly & Co. , prophesied five years ago. Lilly has already exited the PBM business with the sale of PCS Health Systems Inc. to drug store chain Rite-Aid Corp.[See Deal]; Merck seems the only long term player, but only because Medco remains profitable, rather than for any integral value to its main drug business.

More surprising, historically speaking, in the evolution of the PBM business has been the rise of St. Louis-based Express Scripts...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on In Vivo for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required
Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

More from Business Strategy

Mapping Biopharma’s AI Strategy: From Custom Datasets to Foundation Models

 
• By David Wild

Biotech companies are pursuing diverse AI strategies beyond expensive custom data generation: foundation model fine-tuning, data-efficient computational methods and targeted proprietary datasets. In Vivo takes a look at some examples.

Late-Stage GLP-1 Drug Trials Outside The Cardiometabolic Space

 
• By David Wild

A look at Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and other companies' late-stage clinical studies of GLP-1 drugs in indications ranging from neurodegeneration to oncology, and alcoholic liver disease to autoimmune conditions.

Rising Leaders 2025: Metsera’s Whit Bernard’s Musical Path To Biotech Leadership

 
• By David Wild

Metsera CEO Whit Bernard applies an unconventional leadership philosophy to develop next-generation obesity therapeutics, including monthly GLP-1 injections and oral peptides.

AI In Drug Discovery: The Patent Implications

 
• By David Wild

A Q&A with DeAnn Smith, partner and co-chair of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Proceedings Practice Group at law firm Foley Hoag.

More from In Vivo

Wide Of The Mark: ‘The Worst EU Medtech Predictions Have Not Come True’

 
• By Ashley Yeo

Jana Grieb, European regulatory and market access legal expert at McDermott Will & Emery, explains why the healthtech and pharma industries are warming to the new EU health commissioner as he faces calls to make the MDR more “user friendly.”

This Belgian Biotech’s Drug Cocktail Could Help Reverse Muscle Aging

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

While big pharma pours billions into creating new anti-aging molecules, a Belgian startup has taken a different path: combining existing safe drugs with AI precision. The early results suggest it might be onto something revolutionary.

Rising Leaders 2025: Doxie Jordan, From UNC Graduate To Global Market Strategist

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

Bristol Myers Squibb executive Doxie Jordan discusses his path to global commercial leadership and the principles guiding pharmaceutical market strategy