Changing the script on drug pricing: a new type of supplier creates savings for patients and plans

In 2020, a group of health plans founded CivicaScript, a non-profit generic drug supplier, with the goal of reducing generic drug prices using an innovative organizational structure called the Health Care Utility model. CivicaScript selected abiraterone acetate, a treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, as the proof-of-concept drug. This paper presents the results of that effort, highlighting significant cost savings for both patients (64%) and payers (92%) between September and December 2023. Despite facing resistance from entrenched industry structures, CivicaScript’s approach demonstrates the potential to reshape the pharmaceutical supply chain, offering a sustainable and scalable model for improving generic drug affordability.