What You Should Know:
– CVS Health released their Drug Trend Report, examining the drivers of overall and specialty drug trend through the first three quarters of 2021. Data were calculated on a cohort of 1,014 PBM clients—employers and health plans—covering approximately 22 million lives.
– The report details how CVS Health delivered an overall drug trend of 2.4% for commercial PBM clients, with 35.9% having a negative trend.
Key findings of the report include:
– Specialty medications: drove over half – 54% – of overall drug spending but CVS Health managed an industry-low specialty drug trend of 5.8%. More specifically, autoimmune conditions contributed represented more than half of all specialty utilization.
– Non-specialty medications: while the overall non-specialty trend was negative, utilization of newer medications for migraine, diabetes and obesity increased trend in those categories.
– Member affordability: On top of 6 years of continuously lowering cost-share for members, plan members on average spent less than $10 per month per medication.
