Pharmacy benefit managers

The vote came just over one week after the FTC announced it would probe claims regarding the role the middlemen play in determining retail prices of prescription drugs.

The report from the state’s Health Policy Commission reveals state spending on prescription drugs nearly doubled from $1.1 billion to $1.9 billion over a five year period.

Representatives from five of the nation’s biggest pharmacy benefits manager companies faced members of Congress on Tuesday as lawmakers continue to press pharma players on the high costs of prescription drugs in the United States.

Representatives from Cigna, CVS, OptumRx, Prime Therapeutics and Humana will meet with Congress regarding prescription drug prices.