Express Scripts Divesting United Biosource

Express Scripts Divesting United Biosource. Express Scripts and Avista Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm, recently announced that Avista has signed a definitive agreement to acquire United BioSource (UBC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Express Scripts Holding Company.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, UBC is a leading provider of pharmaceutical and patient support services, partnering with life science companies to make medicine and medical products safer and more accessible. The company has 13 locations in the U.S., Europe, and Canada. A core strength of UBC is generating, analyzing, and communicating real-world evidence throughout a medical product’s lifecycle.

UBC offers a diverse suite of services helps bridge the gap between development and delivery and builds brand loyalty through patient access and adherence.

UBC has aligned Express Scripts’ expertise and industry insight to help manufacturers make informed decisions early in the product journey that ultimately optimize care and improve patient outcomes. UBC also partners with pharmaceutical manufacturers to design and operationalize patient access centers that assist patients and prescribers with navigating prescription drug coverage and pharmacy options through patient access programs, including patient assistance programs, reimbursement, alternate funding and compliance services.

UBC offers consulting services, including design, implementation and project management, for pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers to collect evidence to guide the safe, effective and affordable use of medicines.

UBC is a well-known provider in addressing the complex needs of both specialty and non-specialty products as they move from clinical development through the regulatory assessment process into the commercial marketplace. UBC is uniquely positioned to meet the increasingly challenging requirements of safe and appropriate use of these medications while simultaneously addressing burdens of product access, affordability and long-term patient adherence.

UBC partners with Express Scripts’ subsidiaries Accredo® Specialty Pharmacy and CuraScript® Specialty Distribution to help pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers maximize product access and commercialization.

Express Scripts recently became aware of the following two legal proceedings against its subsidiary United Biosource Corporation.

A complaint was filed against UBC, Mallinckrodt Ard, Inc. and Mallinckrodt PLC (together with Mallinckrodt Ard, Inc., “Mallinckrodt”). Mallinckrodt is the manufacturer of Acthar Gel (Acthar), which is a therapeutic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The allegations in the complaint are similar to those made in The City of Rockford lawsuit filed in Illinois in April. With respect to Acthar, the plaintiffs allege that Mallinckrodt held a monopoly in the United States, protected that monopoly by acquiring its only potential competitor and used monopoly power to raise the price of Acthar, and that defendants collectively engaged in vertical price fixing. The plaintiffs allege violations of Sections 1-3 of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, unjust enrichment and violations of the antitrust and/or consumer protection statutes of 32 U.S. states.

A lawsuit was filed against Eli Lilly and Company, Inc. and its vendors, including UBC, regarding services Lilly engaged them to provide with respect to insulin drugs Humalog and Humulin and osteoporosis drug Forteo. The relator claims that: (1) Healthstar Communications, Inc. and VMS Biomarketing assisted Lilly in providing in-kind remuneration to prescribers in the form of free nursing services to induce such prescribers to prescribe the Lilly Products; (2) Lilly contracted with and paid remuneration to nurse educators to recommend the Lilly Products; and (3) Covance, Inc. and UBC assisted Lilly in providing in-kind remuneration to prescribers in the form of reimbursement support services that saved prescribers administrative expenses, which services were provided to induce such prescribers to prescribe the Lilly Products.

Additional information on United Biosource and Specialty Pharmaceutical HUBs is available