Dallas, TX – Entrepreneur Mark Cuban announced on social media that his Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company (MCCPDC) is delivering on the goal of achieving pharmaceutical pricing below the levels seen in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. In a recent tweet, Cuban stated, "> The president wanted pricing less than OECD. @costplusdrugs delivers." He further emphasized that eliminating Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) is crucial to extend these low prices to "just about every drug," including branded medications.
The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, launched in January 2022, operates as a public-benefit corporation with a mission to significantly reduce prescription drug costs by bypassing traditional pharmaceutical middlemen. The company employs a transparent pricing model, selling medications at their acquisition cost plus a fixed 15% markup, a $5 pharmacy service fee, and a $5 shipping fee. This model aims to provide clear and affordable access to essential medications for consumers.
The United States has long faced scrutiny over its significantly higher drug prices compared to other developed nations. Recent analyses, such as a 2022 RAND report, indicate that U.S. drug prices across all categories were nearly 2.78 times higher than those in 33 OECD comparison countries. This disparity is particularly pronounced for brand-name drugs, where U.S. prices were found to be at least 3.22 times higher, even after accounting for estimated rebates.
Cuban's focus on PBMs highlights a key area of contention within the pharmaceutical supply chain. PBMs manage prescription drug benefits for insurers and employers, but critics argue their opaque practices and rebate negotiations contribute to inflated drug costs for consumers and limit transparency. Cuban's tweet suggests that removing these intermediaries would enable MCCPDC to collaborate directly with brand-name manufacturers, thus expanding its low-cost model beyond primarily generic drugs.
MCCPDC has steadily expanded its reach, offering over 2,200 drugs by late 2023 and forging partnerships with various healthcare entities and pharmacy networks like Kroger and Wegmans. In 2025, the company began manufacturing its own medications, including epinephrine and norepinephrine, at a facility in Dallas, aiming to address critical drug shortages and further control costs. While the company has made significant strides in transparency and affordability for many generic medications, its broader impact on the high-cost brand-name drug market remains a key area of future development.