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The U.S. pharmacy benefits ecosystem is under immense pressure. Prescription spending has surged past $800 billion, prices continue to climb at nearly 10 percent each year, and just a few large pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) now handle the vast majority of claims. What was once a model for cost savings has become an intricate, high-stakes system in need of modernization.

For more than 30 years, the pharmacy benefits industry has tried to make prescription drug costs transparent. We’ve passed legislation, issued executive orders, and built endless dashboards — yet drug spend continues to rise, employers remain frustrated, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) still operate inside a black box.

As pressure grows across the healthcare industry to reduce prescription costs, healthcare analytics company Xevant has announced a significant expansion to its VerX™ Platform. VerX is Xevant’s core software solution, built to improve transparency and efficiency in pharmacy benefit management. This new suite of systems is designed to help clients simplify their drug pricing operations.

Pharmacy benefit management (PBM) has long operated in the shadows. For decades, few leaders had visibility into the terms, fees, or incentives that drive prescription costs. That era is ending. Prescription drug spending jumped 10.2% in 2024 to nearly $806 billion, and 2025 brings sweeping reforms under the Big Beautiful Bill. The law bans spread pricing in Medicaid, restricts PBM compensation to administrative fees, and mandates pass-through reimbursement with greater transparency. For health plans and employers, adapting to this new reality isn’t optional — it’s a competitive necessity.

In an industry where prescription costs continue to climb and inefficiency drains more than $250 billion each year, Xevant is charting a new course. The Utah-based leader in real-time pharmacy benefits intelligence has expanded its VerX™ Platform, unveiling a suite of interconnected systems—Cortex, Pulse, Axis, and Nudge—that together bring to life the operational power of RxTech, the emerging technology segment transforming pharmacy benefits.

For decades, pharmacy benefits management (PBM) has operated in a haze of complexity, hidden rebates, and locked-in inefficiencies. The result has been a system where billions of dollars slip through the cracks each year while patients, employers, and health plans remain in the dark.

Despite record-breaking spending on pharmacy benefits in the U.S., tens of millions of Americans still walk away from the pharmacy counter empty-handed. According to a national survey, nearly one in three adults—about 52 million people—have left at least one prescription unfilled due to cost. Meanwhile, $200 billion in annual waste still flows through a system built on static contracts, misaligned incentives, and year-end “true-ups.”

As GLP-1 medications continue their meteoric rise, transforming the treatment of diabetes and obesity, employers across the country are confronting a new healthcare reality. Once considered a niche therapy, GLP-1s are now projected to become the best-selling drug class globally, fueled by skyrocketing demand, relentless marketing, and growing expectations from employees themselves.

Employee benefits and preferences are due for a revamp in 2025, and one trend is rapidly gaining traction: the integration of medical weight loss solutions into employer-sponsored healthcare. Once considered a niche concern, weight management is now a pivotal factor in recruitment and retention.

Weight loss medications have been a breakthrough in metabolic health, offering individuals struggling with obesity and related conditions an effective treatment path. Yet despite their clinical benefits and growing demand, many insurers are now pulling back on coverage, leaving employers and employees without viable options.