BCBS patients pay 64% less for generic drug
New analysis shows continued savings and broader price pressure from CivicaScript, a partnership among 23 Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies
Patients with prostate cancer are seeing meaningful savings. In 2024, CivicaScript abiraterone saved $17.8 million for patients and participating health insurance companies. If every eligible patients in CivicaScript’s member health plans had switched from other generics, total savings could have exceeded $60 million, according to the company’s latest savings report.
By driving competition in the market, CivicaScript abiraterone appears to be having a ripple effect, bringing down drug prices across the board. After its launch, the average cost of abiraterone from other manufacturers dropped 19%—a win for patients who rely on this medication.
These results come from an impactful partnership between BCBS companies and CivicaScript to bring more affordable generic medicines and biosimilars to market and more choices to patients.
The 2024 numbers reflect a model that works. Early results in late 2023—and published in The New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst—found that patients using CivicaScript's abiraterone saved about $81 per month on average, paying 64% less for their medication, proving that this approach can drive down the cost of medications.
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Reshaping the pharmacy supply chain together
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) co-founded CivicaScript in partnership with numerous BCBS companies to develop and manufacture generics. These medicines are usually cheaper than brand-name drugs, but in recent years, the price of some generics has increased substantially, raising costs for patients. So, CivicaScript is focused on creating alternatives for drugs that have too little competition and too high a price. Today, 23 BCBS companies are involved alongside other health plans and other parts of the pharmaceutical supply chain—all dedicated to making high-quality, low-cost generics.
As part of its “disruptive collaboration” model, CivicaScript partners with major health insurance companies to streamline the supply chain from the inside out. They focus on transparency and collaboration throughout the value chain from manufacturing through dispensing and pass the cost savings along to patients.
“This takes us from proof of concept to proof that disruptive collaboration can be a powerful force,” said CivicaScript President Brent J. Eberle. “We are demonstrating that our combination of transparency and sustainable low pricing has potential to transform the system—reducing drug costs and improving patient access to the medicines they need to stay healthy.”
Rising drug prices are a key driver of higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs for Americans. These promising early results show that the CivicaScript model produces savings for members. Along with Blue Plans nationwide, BCBSA will continue to champion innovative, scalable solutions that make health care more affordable today and into the future.
Paving the way with new generics
CivicaScript is not stopping with this first generic medication. It’s bringing more low-cost medications to more people, ramping up the production and distribution of new generics. CivicaScript released its second product, droxidopa, in April 2025 for the treatment of orthostatic dizziness in adults. Additional products are expected to launch by the end of 2025.
CivicaScript is a sister company to Civica, Inc. (Civica Rx®), which was created in 2018 as a nonprofit public asset to help prevent chronic shortages of hospital-based medicines—and the price spikes that often accompany them.
We’re laser focused on affordability
The success of CivicaScript is important progress, but there is much more work to be done to make health care more affordable.
In 2025, BCBSA launched a roadmap to reduce costs by nearly $1 trillion over 10 years, which includes solutions to lower prices for prescription drugs. Advancing proposed bipartisan legislation will stop Big Pharma schemes from blocking competition and keeping prices high, using tactics like pay-for-delay, where brand-name drugmakers pay generic manufacturers to postpone launching lower-cost versions, thereby preserving monopoly pricing. We urge Congress to act so that American families can see more competition, more choices and lower prescription drug costs.
Together, we can take on drug prices and make sure care is more affordable for American families and employers.