1. Scrip
  2. >>Business
  3. >>Deals

Cigna/Express Scripts: The End Of The Standalone PBM Era

 
• By Jessica Merrill

The health insurer Cigna is poised to acquire the largest independent PBM in the US. With other consolidation throughout the sector, this signals sweeping changes to the way drug distribution is managed.

Business teamwork puzzle pieces.

Express Scripts Holding Co.– the largest pharmacy benefit manager in the US, which has staked its reputation for lowering drug spending on a message of independence – is poised to be acquired by the health insurer Cigna Corp. for $67bn in cash and stock, including $15bn in Express Scripts debt.

The news will reverberate across the pharmaceutical industry as stakeholders scramble to decipher what this latest consolidation in an ongoing wave will mean for the way drugs are managed and distributed to patients

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip 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 Deals

Biopharma Deals ROI Has Fallen And Market Instability Could Make It Worse

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

Rising biotech valuations mean return on investment on some deals is non-existent for big pharma, though certain strategies will improve chances of success, a new analysis has found.

Dr Reddy’s Gears For Tariffs Scenario To Ensure No US Supply Disruption

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories preps for potential US tariffs, focusing on sustaining product supply and collaborating with customers on inventories. A recent US plant sale, the firm stressed, was unrelated to tariffs and underlines its openness to ‘make in the US’, where it launched 18 products in fiscal 2025.

Pharma Left Hanging After US/UK Trade Pact

 
• By Kevin Grogan

An ‘historic economic prosperity deal’ does not include the sector.

Sanofi R&D Head’s Words Of Wisdom For Biotechs

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Houman Ashrafian tells delegates at Swiss Biotech Day that ‘literally only two things matter in our industry – target credentialing and differentiated pharmacology. The rest is execution.’

More from Business

Azafaros Banks Over €130m To Advance Nizubaglustat Into Phase III

 
• By Kevin Grogan

The therapy has been developed for GM1 and GM2 gangliosidoses and Niemann-Pick disease type C.

Roche Reveals Another US Manufacturing Site As Tariff Pressures Seem To Ease

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Roche/Genentech unveiled plans for a $700m-plus manufacturing facility for weight loss drugs in North Carolina as President Trump signaled such investments could mean no tariffs for pharma.

Trump’s MFN Executive Order More Rhetoric Than Action

 
• By Jessica Merrill

The details of Trump’s latest executive order on drug pricing are vague and the president put more blame on other countries and pharma distributors than drug companies.