The Federal Trade Commission struck a proposed settlement with CVS over charges that its pharmacy benefit manager manipulated insulin prices and impeded patient access. The FTC estimates the settlement will save Americans up to $7 billion in out-of-pocket costs over 10 years.
FTC Settlement with CVS Caremark Over PBM Practices
- ▪CVS Caremark is one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the United States
- ▪The Federal Trade Commission reached a proposed settlement with CVS Caremark over allegations the company artificially inflated the price of insulin and impeded access to the diabetes treatment
- ▪The proposed agreement between the Federal Trade Commission and CVS Caremark is subject to review and approval by the FTC chair
- ▪The proposed settlement agreement between the Federal Trade Commission and CVS Caremark was filed on the agency website in March 2026
Allegations of Insulin Price Manipulation and Access Barriers
- ▪CVS Caremark was alleged to have artificially inflated the price of insulin
- ▪CVS Caremark was alleged to have impeded access to insulin, a lifesaving diabetes treatment
Broader FTC Action Against Multiple Pharmacy Benefit Managers
- ▪Cigna's Express Scripts reached a final settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in February 2026 over allegations of insulin price manipulation
- ▪The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in September 2024 against CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth's OptumRx
- ▪Express Scripts is owned by Cigna
- ▪OptumRx is owned by UnitedHealth
Perspective of Federal Trade Commission
- ▪The Federal Trade Commission alleged that CVS Caremark manipulated insulin prices through its pharmacy benefit manager operations
- ▪The Federal Trade Commission estimates the CVS settlement will save Americans up to $7 billion in out-of-pocket costs over 10 years
- ▪The Federal Trade Commission alleged that CVS Caremark's practices impeded patient access to insulin
Perspective of CVS
- ▪CVS expects the Federal Trade Commission settlement process to conclude in the coming weeks as of March 24, 2026
Perspective of Pharmacy benefit managers industry
- ▪Express Scripts reached a final settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in February 2026 before CVS Caremark's proposed settlement
- ▪Three of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the United States were named in the Federal Trade Commission complaint over insulin pricing
Story comments
Loading comments…