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Pharmacy management insights

Stay informed with the latest pharmacy trends, industry news, and Optum Rx innovations to transform your health care benefits.

Latest featured insights

Video

How do pharmacy benefit managers work?

Hear how PBMs negotiate to deliver the lowest possible cost, benefiting plan sponsors and members alike.

Article

What to expect from pharmaceutical tariffs

New tariffs on imported drugs are expected soon, which could mean higher prices and potential shortages.

Article

The big picture on pharmacy

Meet Dr. Wig, Chief Clinical Officer for Optum Rx, and hear how we’re addressing cost and clinical trends in pharmacy.

Article

Small price hikes make for big drug prices

We know about the high prices for new drugs, but drug companies make most of their money from repeated small price increases on older drugs.

 

 

Drug Pipeline Insights Reports

Report

New drugs for Alzheimer’s multiple sclerosis, more

First self-administered Alzheimer's therapy shifts costs to pharmacy plans, plus first treatments for MS and bronchiectasis.

Report

Better drugs? Maybe. Higher cost? Definitely.

New drugs for myasthenia gravis and hereditary angioedema will be easier to take, more effective, and add competition.

Report

New treatments for rare and common conditions

Our report emphasizes new, next-gen and first-in-class treatments for cystic fibrosis, non-opioid treatment and GLP-1 drugs.

 

 

Preparing for the GLP-1 Era

Article

Insights on GLP-1s: Costs and coverage

Balancing the risks and the benefits of GLP-1 drugs.

Article

Preparing your plan for the GLP-1 era

After revolutionizing care for diabetes and weight loss, GLP-1 drugs are being eyed for more. Can we afford it?

Solution or product page

Weight Engage

Get the most from these pricey new obesity drugs by choosing the right coverage strategy and helping your members build lifelong habits.

 

 

Regulatory updates

Report

Regulations to watch: Summer 2025

As legislation impacting PBMs ramps up again at the state level, the Trump administration signs drug pricing executive order in Washington, D.C.

Report

Regulations to watch: Spring 2025

Learn what’s at stake for pharmacy benefits sponsors as federal oversight changes and state legislative sessions begin.

Article

The state of pharmacy regulations

In this conversation, learn the implications of new pharmacy legislation and rulemaking, and how you can manage your benefits effectively.

  

Latest on-demand webinars

On-demand webinar

Addressing pharmacy issues that matter to you

From specialty pharmacy to drug affordability, our experts tackle your biggest pharmacy challenges.

 

 

Latest podcasts

Podcast

Pharmacy Insights Podcast

Listen to our resident experts discuss critical industry challenges and the solutions you need to control rising drug costs.

  

 All pharmacy management insights

The big picture on pharmacy

Meet Dr. Wig, Chief Clinical Officer for Optum Rx, and hear how we’re addressing cost and clinical trends in pharmacy.

A new way to treat acute pain

A long-sought non-opioid painkiller has arrived. But will the benefits outweigh the cost?

Better drugs? Maybe. Higher cost? Definitely.

New drugs for myasthenia gravis and hereditary angioedema will be easier to take, more effective, and add competition.

What to expect from pharmaceutical tariffs

New tariffs on imported drugs are expected soon, which could mean higher prices and potential shortages.

How do pharmacy benefit managers work?

Hear how PBMs negotiate to deliver the lowest possible cost, benefiting plan sponsors and members alike.

Health Equity Vision into Action Report

Learn how identifying and addressing disparities in healthcare allows everyone to live their healthiest life.

Addressing pharmacy issues that matter to you

From specialty pharmacy to drug affordability, our experts tackle your biggest pharmacy challenges.

Pharmacy benefit managers add value lower costs

PBMs don’t cause high drug costs — they’re part of the solution. Our drug prices beat the “low cost” vendors.

8 ways to make drugs more affordable

Discover what plan sponsors need to know to help remove or limit cost as a barrier to medication access.

The dangers of polypharmacy

Millions of workers at risk due to overprescribed drugs.

Pharmacy Insights Podcast

Listen to our resident experts discuss critical industry challenges and the solutions you need to control rising drug costs.

Drug pricing spotlight: Wound care

Combat against brand name products costing 125 times more.

6 thoughts: Shipping refrigerated medications

See how temperature-sensitive medications are protected in transit with Optum Rx.

Orphan drug market: Rare diseases, large costs

Orphan drugs offer hope to people with rare diseases. They also add large costs. Our Orphan Drug Program is a targeted strategy to help control costs.

Regulations to watch: Spring 2024

Get the latest on legislation impacting PBM operations.

3 ways to beat vaccine fatigue

Learn about researched vaccine messaging themes and important steps you can take to promote critical vaccinations for members.

The latest PBM regulations: Summer 2024

Get your guide to the evolving health care regulatory landscape and see what’s coming as lawmakers debate 600+ new bills impacting PBMs.

Specialty drugs: Not just set and forget?

For optimizing specialty drug therapy, monitoring patients throughout their care is key to cost-effective use of high-cost drugs.

Taking the paper out of member communications

Discover how digital communications can increase member engagement and lower the cost of care.

New innovative treatments for hemophilia B, RSV and COPD

Cutting-edge research in gene therapy, mRNA editing and blood enzymes pays off with powerful new advances for these drug classes.

Top 4 drug spend categories

Many patients combined with expensive drugs leads to top spending classes.

Get immediate savings on specialty drugs

Specialty drug spend is a “top threat” to employer-provided benefits. Discover sustainable savings with your existing Optum Rx plan.

Avoid surprises in pharmacy spend

Old strategies and new challenges don’t mix. Future-proof your plan and get better predictability with new pricing models and risk management tools.

Building the PBM of the future

The solutions plan sponsors need today to tackle the pharmacy challenges of tomorrow.

Advanced Pharmacy Audit Services

See how a health plan used advanced audit services to prevent and detect pharmacy fraud, saving over $1 million.

Empowering clients with choice and transparency

Helping make prescription drugs more affordable for plan sponsors and the members we serve is a universal focus.

Smart formulary management

Develop and manage formularies that bring clinical and financial value.

4 myths: Carving out specialty pharmacy

Integrating specialty pharmacy means better care, lower costs.

Biosimilars to save billions in this decade

Prices for popular brand-name biologics drop up to 60% with generic-equivalent biosimilars.

3 ways to deal with escalating drug costs

Explore innovations custom built for today’s specialty challenges.

A young patient’s hemophilia story

See how Optum Rx helped change a patient’s life with access to life-altering medicines.

3 steps to slash medication costs

This is your employer guide to reducing your healthcare spending.

Winter: First big drugs of 2024

New treatments for NASH, schizophrenia and more are on the way.

Make your pharmacy benefit plan work better

Learn 4 key questions you should be asking.

Gene therapies: Can we afford the future of medicine?

Learn how to manage financial risk as gene therapies become more commonplace.

How to contain GLP-1 costs

Get strategies for handling the new anti-obesity medications.

Alternative funding: Real savings or problems?

See how much "free" drugs will actually cost you.

Creating connections through partnership

Hear from an Optum Rx client on how we're partnering together for everyone we serve.

The secret to lowering the total cost of care

Rising pharmacy costs concern everyone. Managing the underlying health conditions behind each prescription is key to addressing these high costs.

Optum Rx customer obsession

Watch how one Optum Rx employee made the system work better for everyone.

How to manage blockbuster anti-obesity drugs

The pricey weight management drugs work well, but users need coaching and support to maintain the benefits.

4 key forces shaping the future of pharmacy

These emerging trends will help define the road ahead.

How to eliminate prescription waste

Achieve savings by targeting expensive, low-value drugs.

How to manage medication overload

Hear from a leader's perspective on how to manage polypharmacy.

Alzheimer's treatment: Time for a level-set?

See success rates, risks and costs of the new Alzheimer’s treatments.

A seamless pharmacy benefit change?

We guarantee it. And it's easier than you think.

The new drugs plan sponsors need to watch for

See which trends to consider when assessing the pharmacy benefit, which new drugs may be flying under the radar and what's coming.

Orphan drugs market: Can we afford them?

We examine key questions around orphan drugs such as why they're so expensive, how they're being used and what plan sponsors should do next.

Pharmacy legislative rules fall 2024

An assessment of the latest rules impacting PBMs from state and federal legislation.

New treatments for rare and common conditions

Our report emphasizes new, next-gen and first-in-class treatments for cystic fibrosis, non-opioid treatment and GLP-1 drugs.

Insights on GLP-1s: Costs and coverage

Balancing the risks and the benefits of GLP-1 drugs.

Biosimilars: Hard to make but lower costs

Biosimilars compete with expensive biologic drugs by offering the same safety and effectiveness, but at a lower cost.

New options to treat schizophrenia, COPD

A clever combination drug offers new help for schizophrenia with reduced side effects, while Dupixent expands its footprint to COPD.

5 questions on health equity

Creating better health care access for all is a priority.

The state of pharmacy regulations

In this conversation, learn the implications of new pharmacy legislation and rulemaking, and how you can manage your benefits effectively.

Aging workforce and the impact on drug spend

An estimated 23% of the workforce will be over age 65 by 2050 – but what does that mean for my drug plan?

Automating the prior authorization process

Discover our latest innovation to the PA process — PreCheck Prior Authorization — which reduces approval times, appeals and denials.

How to push back on 3 key pharmacy headwinds

Innovative formulary structures and clinical programs can help plan sponsors meet the challenge of expensive orphan, biologic and GLP-1 drugs.

2024 in review

Another busy year in pharmacy is coming. Read about top stories in GLP-1s, biosimilars, top spend classes, key regulations and innovations.

Key new drugs help close out 2024

New biologics for breast cancer, hemophilia, and a rare form of heart disease are poised to add competition and choice in these classes.

Preparing your plan for the GLP-1 era

After revolutionizing care for diabetes and weight loss, GLP-1 drugs are being eyed for more. Can we afford it?

Are your pharmacy benefits working hard enough?

Pharmacy benefits should be transparent, affordable and easy to use. Get clear on your pharmacy benefit manager’s value with these 3 questions.

A quarter-century of pharmacy benefit changes

Explore the dramatic changes in the years since 2000 — in drug performance and design, and especially affordability.

Transform your pharmacy benefits with end-to-end transparency

Pharmacy benefits should be clear and simple. Are they? In this latest e-book, see how true transparency drives better outcomes.

New pharmacy benefit solutions to help bend the cost curve

In this conversation, get a peek into upcoming solutions and technologies designed to address high-cost medications.

Small price hikes make for big drug prices

We know about the high prices for new drugs, but drug companies make most of their money from repeated small price increases on older drugs.

Regulations to watch: Spring 2025

Learn what’s at stake for pharmacy benefits sponsors as federal oversight changes and state legislative sessions begin.

What is a copay card? Making sense of copayments in healthcare

Learn how drug maker copay cards can disrupt your benefit strategy and how the suite of Optum Rx Copay Card Solutions can help.

The impact of AI on today's pharmacy benefits

In our latest podcast, two AI experts discuss how Optum Rx is leveraging artificial intelligence while prioritizing privacy and security.

Regulations to watch: Summer 2025

As legislation impacting PBMs ramps up again at the state level, the Trump administration signs drug pricing executive order in Washington, D.C.

Fighting fraud, waste and abuse in pharmacy

How one plan sponsor realized more than $128,000 in savings and recoveries in one year.

New drugs for Alzheimer’s multiple sclerosis, more

First self-administered Alzheimer's therapy shifts costs to pharmacy plans, plus first treatments for MS and bronchiectasis.

How AI in pharmacy is powering new innovations

From predicting drug trend to earlier fraud protection, see how we’re leveraging AI to improve operations for clients and members.