Aetna Declines To Share Pharmacy Unit With Epress Scripts

Aetna Specialty Pharmacy has a 63,000-square-foot facility that provides medications for conditions such as HIV and cystic fibrosis for 25,000 Aetna members each month. The 280 facility employees will become Aetna employees, Aetna says.

Express Scripts Inc., St. Louis, a giant pharmacy benefits manager, recently acquired Priority. Aetna’s venture agreement with Priority gave Aetna the option of getting full control of the specialty pharmacy business if Priority was acquired, Aetna says.

Aetna says it also is making the deal because it wants to offer integrated health coverage for customers.

Aetna is also in the process of setting up its own, in-house behavioral health operation.