Who Owns Cigna Pharmacy?

Cigna Pharmacy was created in 2018 following The Cigna Group's acquisition of Express Scripts. Express Scripts, founded in 1986 in St. Louis, Missouri, had grown into the largest pharmacy benefit manager in the United States. By the time of the acquisition, Express Scripts managed prescription drug benefits for more than 100 million Americans and generated annual revenues exceeding $100 billion.

The Cigna Group announced the Express Scripts acquisition in March 2018 and completed the deal in December 2018. The transaction was valued at approximately $52 billion, including the assumption of about $15 billion in Express Scripts debt. The deal was the largest in the history of the healthcare insurance industry at the time. The acquisition combined Cigna's medical insurance business with Express Scripts' pharmacy benefit management platform, creating a company with initial combined revenues exceeding $100 billion.

Following the acquisition, The Cigna Group reorganized its operations. The company created the Evernorth Health Services segment in 2020 to house Express Scripts and related pharmacy businesses. Cigna Pharmacy was positioned as the consumer-facing pharmacy brand that connects Express Scripts' benefit management infrastructure with Cigna's health insurance plans. This integration allowed the company to offer coordinated medical and pharmacy benefits to employer clients.

In 2023, The Cigna Group rebranded its corporate name from Cigna Corporation to The Cigna Group. This rebranding reflected the company's dual structure: Evernorth Health Services for pharmacy and care delivery, and Cigna Healthcare for medical insurance. Cigna Pharmacy sits at the intersection of these two segments.

The Express Scripts integration was not without challenges. Combining two large organizations with different technology systems, corporate cultures, and operational processes required several years of work. The integration involved consolidating technology platforms, standardizing customer service operations, and aligning formulary management practices. By 2022, The Cigna Group reported that the integration was substantially complete.

In 2024 and 2025, Evernorth expanded its specialty pharmacy capabilities through Accredo, its specialty pharmacy brand. The division also grew its biosimilar dispensing business, offering lower-cost alternatives to biologic drugs. In 2024, Evernorth's pre-tax adjusted income from operations reached $7.0 billion, representing 9% year-over-year growth. The Cigna Group projected at least $7.2 billion in Evernorth pre-tax adjusted income for 2025.

The March 2025 sale of the Medicare business to HCSC affected Cigna Pharmacy's scope. While Evernorth continues to provide pharmacy benefit services to the divested Medicare plans under a four-year contract, Cigna Pharmacy's direct Medicare Part D operations transferred to HCSC. The brand now focuses primarily on commercial pharmacy benefit management and specialty pharmacy services.