Top Maryland officials shelved the expected approval of a $2.4 billion contract for the state’s prescription drug program in the midst of growing anxiety about the selected company’s lengthy legal history. St. Louis pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts Inc. was in line to take over management of the drug program for roughly 200,000 current and former state workers, but the Maryland Board of Public Works Wednesday delayed the vote to further scrutinize the $2.4 billion contract. Officials were alarmed that Express Scripts paid $9.3 million to Maryland and more than two dozen states to settle a 2008 lawsuit for urging doctors to switch patients’ cholesterol drug brands. The firm also settled a multimillion-dollar New York lawsuit after being accused of pocketing about $100 million in drug rebates owed to the state.
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