Antonio Ciaccia
@A_Ciaccia
Advocate for drug price transparency, competitive healthcare markets, & patient-centered care @46brooklyndata @3AxisAdvisors. Dad to Franco, Marco, Vera, Enzo.
The legacy community pharmacy business model is getting cooked, but @GiantEagle is working to push through the firestorm. Here's hoping that the grocery store where my grandfather worked as a butcher for many years can beat the trends. @jacktroywrites triblive.com/news/health-no…
340B scrutiny is ramping up. Will federal policymakers advance any meaningful reforms, or will things just mostly stay the same? I’m betting on the latter. @RebeccaMPifer healthcaredive.com/news/340b-move…
#Macro Chart of the Day (Day 14) transitions to a new theme... #Medicaid! Figured we should all learn about this program that covers nearly 30% of all Americans before it gets meaningfully cut (thanks to the #onebigbeautifulbill after the 2026 mid-term elections). Today's chart…
Decades after retreating from their former marriages, PBMs are blending their DNA with drug companies once again, this time through private labelling. Here's what it means for the costs of medicines. Our latest: 46brooklyn.com/research/welco…
It's a tough time for pharmacies, but for some, it's not all doom and gloom. If you are a PBM-affiliated pharmacy and/or are benefitting from 340B spreads, you are well positioned to weather the current financial storm. @AISHealth @DrugChannels aishealth.mmitnetwork.com/blogs/spotligh…
Strongest signs yet that Delta Airlines could be getting into the drug business fortune.com/2025/07/16/del…
Discount Drug Mart does much more than save you the runaround. They can save your life too. Bravo to Ohio pharmacist Bryan Greenwood. @Drug_Mart @bobjonesTV @OhioPharmacists news5cleveland.com/news/local-new…
In the least surprising news ever, drugmaker financial ties with telehealth companies yields more prescriptions. Hey, @SenateDems, what do you think drugmaker financial ties with formulary design yields? @DavidOvalle305 washingtonpost.com/health/2025/07…
We call this “having your cake and eating it too.” Another niche program that can provide good relief to those who need it but avoids the root cause of bloated drug list prices, which necessitate the existence of the program in the first place. @Loftus wsj.com/health/pharma/…
“When you don’t get reimbursed for your cost on brand drugs, it’s going to be hard to stay in business." @mcuban healthcareuncovered.substack.com/p/pharmacies-i… @SullivanLuke2 @wendellpotter
New podcast out now on all your content portals of choice (if we missed one, let us know)! @ddayen & @matthewstoller update the current state of affairs in the Pharmacy Benefit Manager arena (and all of US healthcare) with guests @A_Ciaccia and Benjamin Jolly. Link in reply.
Christmas in July: DCI’s annual gross-to-net bubble analysis is out, and estimates show that $356 billion dollars now separate the bloated list prices of medicines from their actual net reality.
📉 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐭𝐨-𝐍𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐬 $356𝐁 𝐢𝐧 2024—𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐨 10-𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐰 In 2024, gross-to-net reductions for brand-name drugs reached a record $356 billion. But the growth rate was the slowest in at least 10 years. Is the bubble…
U.S. drug prices: The highest there is, the highest there was, and the highest there ever will be.
Sneak Peak of this week's pod during which guests @A_Ciaccia & Benjamin Jolley update us on the Pharmacy Benefit Manager issue. Link in reply, please hit that notification button!
“By the end of Trump’s term, the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain could look very different, with a greater share of innovative drug production happening on American soil. That would be a rare win-win—for the White House and for the industry.” - @david_wainer
Heard on the Street: Why pharma stocks have outperformed the broader market since Trump threatened the industry with a 200% tariff on.wsj.com/3Iseqrv
Day 5. Chart of the Day. Hey everyone, great news! There is no problem with prescription drug #inflation! Well, at least according to the #CPI data that is. Average prescription drug inflation dating back to 2005 has been just 2.6% YoY, exactly in line with overall inflation.…
Let us run healthcare but don’t tell anyone how we do it.
New: UnitedHealth is trying to quiet its critics through legal threats against journalists, investors, doctors, filmmakers and others. The giant company is invoking the murder of its CEO to argue that intense criticism risks inciting future violence. 🎁🔗 nytimes.com/2025/07/12/bus…
PBM reform back at the starting line again.
Today, I introduced the Bipartisan Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reform Act. For decades, PBMs have been STEALING patients’ hope and health. As a pharmacist, I’ve seen firsthand the heartbreaking impact of PBMs— forcing families to choose between groceries and medicine. It’s…
Gainwell got health insurers and PBMs all
The largest Medicaid claims processor has built a network of at least 1,800 employees in India, even though many of its state contracts require work to be done in the US unless waivers are issued. The latest investigation from @JohnDHolland22 and me: news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and…
"NADAC has shown that transparency alone is not enough." @Advocate_Rx @DrJenRodis @osu_pharmacy pharmacy.osu.edu/news/shedding-…
Big shout-out to the living legend @darreldrowland on receiving the 2025 Emil Dansker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Journalism. Darrel was @DispatchAlerts public affairs editor when they performed their award-winning, multi-year colonoscopy of PBMs ohiospjawards.org/2025-ohio-spj-…