Humana opts for Gilead in hepatitis C drug battle

Humana acknowledged late Tuesday it has an exclusive deal to offer Gilead Sciences' hepatitis C drugs to its members.

Humana CEO Bruce Broussard told investors in a breakout session that it has a pricing arrangement with Gilead, but he did not disclose what kind of discount the health insurer received for the pricey drugs. High specialty drug costs were part of the reason why Humana's profit was lower in the third quarter.

The company's announcement is the latest in a string of bargaining battles between health insurers and pharmacy benefits managers and pharmaceutical companies. Anthem was the first payer to announce an agreement, saying last week it would use Gilead's drugs for its hepatitis C patients. Gilead makes Sovaldi and Harvoni, which cost $84,000 and $94,500 respectively for the usual 12 weeks of treatment.

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