Is Walgreens going to buy Express Scripts?

[BMBiology]

Express Scripts stock is at 52 week low while it fights with Anthem. If Express Scripts losses Anthem contract, expect Express Scripts stock to fall further and Walgreens to scoop in and buy it or partner with it.

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[ldiot]

I know a Walgreens pharmacist who is expecting this and I wouldn't be surprised. It's no secret that CVS and Walgreens are looking to consolidate and diversify revenue as fast as possible.

 

[Rukn]

Lol they just merged with Rite Aid and a few years ago they couldn't even get a contract with Express Scripts and now they are going to buy them?

If they can afford to do all this then why can't they give scheduled lunch breaks to pharmacists? Why can't they give enough tech help?

 

[ldiot]

Lol they just merged with Rite Aid and a few years ago they couldn't even get a contract with Express Scripts and now they are going to buy them?

If they can afford to do all this then why can't they give scheduled lunch breaks to pharmacists? Why can't they give enough tech help?

Not giving enough help/lunch breaks is probably HOW they can afford to do this kind of stuff... you know running a profitable company. Don't get me wrong I'm all for more staff in the pharmacy I'm just saying...

 

[BMBiology]

Walgreens needs to beat CVS. It bought Rite Aid because it wants more negotiation power. With a huge PBM on its side, it doesn't need CVS business. In addition, it can retaliate and not give Express Scripts business to CVS.

I am watching this dispute closely. Let's see if there is any buying opportunity.

 

[TonyRx]

Walgreens' buyout/merger of Rite-Aid will almost certainly clear the SEC sometime in 2016. As for Express Scripts, it's well known now that Walgreens is very interested in acquiring them; this has been echoed by our new corporate leadership (mainly CEO). I wouldn't be suprised at all if it went down end of this year or early 2017.

 

[BMBiology]

If I am Walgreens, I would ditch the Rite Aid buyout. What is the point if Walgreens needs to close thousands of stores? I would buy ESRX instead.

 

[PharFromNormal]

If I am Walgreens, I would ditch the Rite Aid buyout. What is the point if Walgreens needs to close thousands of stores? I would buy ESRX instead.

Wouldn't be smart to ditch. There's a poison pill in the agreement if either side pulls out or if it doesn't clear. Closing stores still helps wags with leverage in the marketplace. Even if they bought them all and closed them all they benefit from representing a higher % of pharmacies. It's not the closing to worry about its the divesting (selling) that should be the conversation here. How many stores, to who, where etc. Whos gonna have that much cash and who is going to be willing to scoop up pharmacies in bulk?

 

[BidingMyTime]

With a huge PBM on its side, it doesn't need CVS business. In addition, it can retaliate and not give Express Scripts business to CVS.

I'm pretty sure this would be illegal, for the same reasons that Caremark can't exclude Walgreens as a provider.

 

[PharFromNormal]

I'm pretty sure this would be illegal, for the same reasons that Caremark can't exclude Walgreens as a provider.

Wouldn't have to exclude, both could just drop rates low enough where neither would want to participate in each other's network.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Now all they have to do is each buy a generic drug manufacturer and they'll have everything covered.

 

[Rukn]

I'm pretty sure this would be illegal, for the same reasons that Caremark can't exclude Walgreens as a provider.

Lol refills not covered

 

[Dr Wario]

Now all they have to do is each buy a generic drug manufacturer and they'll have everything covered.

I'm waiting for the real life umbrella corp to emerge.

 

[TonyRx]

Now all they have to do is each buy a generic drug manufacturer and they'll have everything covered.

It could be argued that this has already occurred when Walgreens partnered with AmerisourceBergen. That partnership is giving Wag the ability to merge/buy AmerisourceBergen (slowly but surely), which is one of the worlds largest distributers of generic meds. It was all part of the bigger picture of Wag merging/buying Alliance Boots, establishing a "Walgreens presence" across the globe (Europe, Asia, etc.).

 

[Pharmgrl00]

What is so sad in all of this is that the patient, who each of us as pharmacist's took oaths to protect, is losing! No wonder the US is ranked so poorly in every single health care ranking. .corporations like WAGS and CVS have ruined our profession..jump ship if you can and go to an independent if they're still alive or better yet open one yourself so you can lay your head down at night knowing that you've helped someone who needed it..not a greedy corporation!

 

[BenJammin]

What stops these PBMs from forcing patients to use CVS or Walgreen or whoever otherwise they can only get a 7 day supply of medication. Why 30 days, Caremark?

 

[steveysmith54]

What is so sad in all of this is that the patient, who each of us as pharmacist's took oaths to protect, is losing! No wonder the US is ranked so poorly in every single health care ranking. .corporations like WAGS and CVS have ruined our profession..jump ship if you can and go to an independent if they're still alive or better yet open one yourself so you can lay your head down at night knowing that you've helped someone who needed it..not a greedy corporation!

Problem is how Long is this independent of yours is going to last when your patients can't use their insurances there, as you struggle match the 4 dollar generic lists, as you are losing money due to poor reimbursement, and see chains even give away free meds? I predict insurance fraud to go on the rise, as well.

 

[txpharmguy]

If Pessina has his way, short answer is no. He wants a single payer system. Of course, never says never

 

[PharFromNormal]

What is so sad in all of this is that the patient, who each of us as pharmacist's took oaths to protect, is losing! No wonder the US is ranked so poorly in every single health care ranking. .corporations like WAGS and CVS have ruined our profession..jump ship if you can and go to an independent if they're still alive or better yet open one yourself so you can lay your head down at night knowing that you've helped someone who needed it..not a greedy corporation!

Yea we swore to abide to that APhA/AACP pharmacists oath!

 

[Old Timer]

What is so sad in all of this is that the patient, who each of us as pharmacist's took oaths to protect, is losing! No wonder the US is ranked so poorly in every single health care ranking. .corporations like WAGS and CVS have ruined our profession..jump ship if you can and go to an independent if they're still alive or better yet open one yourself so you can lay your head down at night knowing that you've helped someone who needed it..not a greedy corporation!

You would think so, but you would be wrong. This is 100% all due to insurance companies and employers reducing reimbursement. It's what happens in a capitalist system when the payor and the consumer are not the same person. The chains are a reaction to the market, not the driver.

 

[Wheresmyaricept]

It could be argued that this has already occurred when Walgreens partnered with AmerisourceBergen. That partnership is giving Wag the ability to merge/buy AmerisourceBergen (slowly but surely), which is one of the worlds largest distributers of generic meds. It was all part of the bigger picture of Wag merging/buying Alliance Boots, establishing a "Walgreens presence" across the globe (Europe, Asia, etc.).

Not to mention that the "alliance" part of alliance boots is probably one of, if not, the biggest wholesalers in the world. They're just not in America for some reason. I would think if WBA did indeed buy ABC it would just be absorbed by the alliance wholesale division of the company.

 

[EyeTeeFarmer]

You would think so, but you would be wrong. This is 100% all due to insurance companies and employers reducing reimbursement. It's what happens in a capitalist system when the payor and the consumer are not the same person. The chains are a reaction to the market, not the driver.

Actually I think you can blame Uncle Sam for letting this get out of control. For years, the US healthcare system overpaid on health related expenses. More labs, more tests, more drugs without considering quality and re-admission. During this time, drug companies bought each other, paid each other not to put out generics, did dirty things, etc. Pharmacies also got really rich. Then one Uncle Sam woke up and decided that enough was enough. So he started trying to account for how many checks left the checkbook. In response, PBMs continued to grow under the guise of saving him the bottom dollar (and secretly kept the top without having to talk about it) while the chains all merged together. And now we have independent pharmacies dying off the face of the earth, about 80 percent of all prescriptions represented by a handful of PBMs in some way, and less than a handful of major chains. And the chains keep pushing out in every direction with drug costs, tech hours, pharmacists benefits so scrap every dollar they can find.

It's bad for pharmacists now, but there's no going back to the days of old. Now imagine what would happen if the US regulated prices on drug companies. Get it at the source. I know growth would be greatly ******ed but.... what would happen?

 

[BenJammin]

You would think so, but you would be wrong. This is 100% all due to insurance companies and employers reducing reimbursement. It's what happens in a capitalist system when the payor and the consumer are not the same person. The chains are a reaction to the market, not the driver.

Is that why I can't fill a 90 day supply at an independent? I have to go to CVS for that? Because CVS isn't ruining this profession? Haha.

 

[knight on horse]

Hahahahahah!

If they can afford to do all this then why can't they give scheduled lunch breaks to pharmacists? Why can't they give enough tech help?

Actually the retail model dovetails nicely with intermittent fasting, though girls can't fast as long and ofc you need to eat sometime, and preferably on at least a semi regular schedule

 

[PharFromNormal]

Is that why I can't fill a 90 day supply at an independent? I have to go to CVS for that? Because CVS isn't ruining this profession? Haha.

Yea that is why. In order to win employer's business, Caremark tries to offer a low price to their customer (the employer) to win their PBM business. The various PBMs have their own ways of doing this. Caremark's is to slash reimbursement in narrow networks (which their parent org owns). In commercial lines of business they can pretty much do whatever they want if there isn't state laws against it. If employers weren't looking for the cheapest option available and valued open access and wanted to pay for it... They would but they don't. It's multiple actors all acting with capitalistic strategies to meet their customers needs in a capitalistic economy. I've said it once and I've said it a thousand times, you can love it or hate it but a PBMs main customer is the one directly paying for the benefits not their network pharmacies and not the patients that come to the pharmacies. They will put the needs of the one paying them before the needs of the ones down stream. Love it or hate it, someone will need to play this role in whatever healthcare system you practice in. The "man" will always exist and you will always hate him.

 

[swatchgirl]

Now that CVS is merging with Aetna, I thought Amazon is going to buy Express Scripts?