Middlemen appear to be driving up drug prices in U.S.: FTC

NEW YORK, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday sharply jabbed pharmacy benefit managers, saying in a 71-page report that "these powerful middlemen may be profiting by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies."

The FTC's report detailed an array of ways that benefit managers appeared to be inflating the cost of prescription drugs. For example, it pointed to an important line of business -- the companies' affiliated pharmacies, including warehouse-based operations that send prescriptions through the mail to patients.