FTC Settles Litigation With Express Scripts Over Insulin Drug Pricing

By Connor Hart

The Federal Trade Commission said it has reached a settlement with Express Scripts, resolving an earlier lawsuit that alleged the pharmacy benefit manager artificially inflated insulin drug prices.

The agency said Wednesday that the settlement will require Express Scripts to increase transparency, a move expected to lower patients' out-of-pocket costs for drugs such as insulin, as well as advance the Trump administration's healthcare priorities.

Express Scripts said its priority is to lower drug costs for Americans.

"This settlement enables us to keep moving forward, and we appreciate the administration's reinforcement of our commitment to pharmacy benefits that put Americans first," the company said.

Under the settlement, Express Scripts agreed to actions including to stop preferring high-wholesale acquisition cost versions of a drug for its standard formularies over identical low-wholesale acquisition cost versions, and to provide covered access to TrumpRx as part of its standard offering, the FTC said.

Express Scripts said these actions will help to ensure that members pay the lowest available prices for their medicines, that more lower-priced medicines, including insulin, are covered across all Express Scripts standard formularies, and that the company's rebate-free model is widely available to employers and health-plan sponsors.

The settlement comes after the FTC in September 2024 brought action against three prescription drug benefit managers, including Express Scripts, alleging the companies were artificially inflating the prices of insulin drugs in part by using anticompetitive and unfair rebating practices.

"The FTC's settlement with Express Scripts will end its business practices that have kept drug prices high, ultimately providing meaningful financial relief to American patients who depend on Express Scripts to access life-sustaining prescription drugs, as well as community pharmacies who will see new revenues each year and relief from being squeezed," FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said.

Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 04, 2026 13:02 ET (18:02 GMT)