What is the role of a rebate aggregator?

The role of a rebate aggregator primarily involves managing manufacturer rebate contracts. Rebate aggregators act as intermediaries between pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) or payers. Their function includes negotiating, collecting, and distributing rebates that manufacturers offer to PBMs based on specific formulary placement or sales performance metrics.

By managing these contracts, rebate aggregators help streamline the process, ensuring that PBMs can optimize their rebates and negotiate better deals with manufacturers. This process ultimately impacts drug pricing and access for patients, as the savings from rebates can be reflected in reduced costs for the drugs prescribed.

The other options, while related to the pharmaceutical and healthcare supply chain, pertain to different functions. Distributing drugs to pharmacies is typically the role of wholesalers or pharmaceutical distributors. Adjudicating patient claims is generally handled by PBMs or insurance companies when they process claims for medication coverage. Creating formulary lists involves selecting which drugs are covered under a specific plan and is usually a task for PBMs or health plan administrators, rather than rebate aggregators.