In Drug-Pricing Dispute With Humana, Walgreens Accuses Arbitrator of ‘Betrayal’

Walgreen Co. filed a lawsuit last month asking a judge to overturn a $642 million arbitration judgment awarded to Humana Inc. pertaining to a dispute over drug pricing. The pharmacy giant alleged that it was seeking the reversal in part because a law firm that used to represent Walgreens allegedly switched sides and encouraged Humana to seek the arbitration. “This arbitration began in betrayal and ended in a miscarriage of justice,” Walgreens’ filing claimed. 

The case highlights a common disagreement between payers and pharmacies over reimbursement, although it is unusual to see a company blame a law firm for sparking such a clash, according to a lawyer and pharmacist who spoke with AIS Health, a division of MMIT.