Lawsuit challenging ESI-Medco merger begins

NEW YORK — Pharmacies hoping to block the merger between pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions got their day in court Tuesday, according to published reports.



Bloomberg reported that a hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania began in Pittsburgh, with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and several independent pharmacies hoping to stop the $29.1 billion merger, which the Federal Trade Commission approved last week.



In response, ESI has requested that the lawsuit be dismissed because the NACDS, NCPA and pharmacies waited too long to file their suit, having sued to prevent the merger on March 29, Bloomberg reported.

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