Paucity of drug price regulation an opportunity for insurers' pharmacy benefit managers

Though the government has been slow to regulate drug prices, analysts say there's a silver lining for insurers such as UnitedHealth that have in-house pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), according to an article from The Street. One such analyst is Leerink's Ana Gupte, who wrote in a recent note that managed care organizations have the opportunity prove their value and "win in the marketplace through integrated medical and pharmacy benefits." This will benefit United as well as potential merger partners Aetna and Humana, she says. Gupte also expects Anthem and Cigna to continue to build out PBM capabilities, as the companies' executives have hinted they want to do. Article