Cigna’s Evernorth Makes $100 Million AI Specialty Pharmacy Investment

The Cigna Group’s Evernorth health services business is making a $100 million investment through 2028 to support a new artificial intelligence-powered pharmacy program “designed to improve how patients access and experience specialty care,” the company said Wednesday.

Today, specialty drugs account for well more than half of the total prescription spending any health plan, employer or government health program manages. And employer clients tell benefits consultants specialty costs easily account for 60% or more of their total drug spending, particularly as more Americans flock to anti-obesity GLP-1 medicines, prescriptions hailed for their ability to help people lose weight.

“AI is enabling us to fundamentally reimagine how we support each patient’s journey,” said Katya Andresen, Chief Data, Digital and AI Officer, The Cigna Group. “By responsibly combining real-time data, advanced analytics and deep clinical expertise, we can deliver more personalized, proactive support — helping people access the care they need faster and achieve better health outcomes.”

Cigna and Evernorth said the new “Pharmacy Forward” program will launch first with its Accredo Specialty Pharmacy, which “serves patients with chronic and complex specialty conditions through condition-specific Therapeutic Resource Centers,” the company said in a statement today. “This investment enables care teams to focus more on clinical care and patient outcomes while reducing prescription processing timelines and improving service responsiveness.”

To be sure, more patients have more specialized needs of new biologic medicines and other medications not dispensed in the traditional pharmacy like Walgreens or CVS Health drugstores. Evernorth and Cigna executives say they’re going to have more than 90% of patients within a “same/next-day ground shipping” radius for more reliable and efficient prescription shipping.

“Patients navigating complex health conditions need comprehensive, expert support, often during some of the most difficult moments in their lives,” said Matt Perlberg, President of the Evernorth Health Services pharmacy and care delivery businesses, including Accredo, and Executive Vice President of Customer Innovation for The Cigna Group. “Pharmacy Forward reflects our commitment to meet patients where they are —delivering an even faster, more seamless experience while ensuring they receive the personalized support and clinical care they deserve.”