States uniting against ESI-Medco merger

WASHINGTON — More than 25 states have formed a group concerned about the potential merger of Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions, Reuters Health reported last week.

James Donahue of the Pennsylvania state attorney general's office declined to name the specific states, though Connecticut and Iowa are among those concerned, according to officials from those states, Reuters reported.

While the states have no direct influence on the review being conducted by the Federal Trade Commission, the collection of states will "likely add pressure on the FTC to give tough scrutiny to the merger, and could hand the agency evidence that would potentially serve as ammunition to challenge it."

The states also could challenge the deal on their own, Reuters noted.

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