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CVS' bid for Aetna is a US$66b bet on cutting drug costs

Published Sun, Oct 29, 2017 · 09:50 PM

DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.

New York

THE proposed merger between US pharmacy operator CVS Health Corp and No 3 health insurer Aetna Inc represents a US$66 billion bet that insurers can drive down high US drug prices by cutting out the middleman.

The move is the most expensive effort to date that would enable a national health insurer to take back full control of prescription medicines for their customers by negotiating prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers and setting customer out-of-pocket costs for each drug.

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