Amid Policy Shifts and Tariffs, SHARx Unshackles U.S. Rx Delivery System

Amid new tariffs and policy shifts, SHARx stays focused on tackling rising U.S. drug costs with a fully transparent, patient-first pricing model that eliminates hidden fees while keeping medications accessible. Employers, brokers, and policymakers now have a clear, ethical alternative to the stronghold traditional PBMs have on plan fiduciaries.

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The prescription drug affordability crisis in the U.S. continues to worsen. Net medicine spending rose 11.4% from 2023 to 2024, driven largely by specialty drugs and breakthrough therapies which help fuel an industry that generates hundreds of billions in profits.⁽¹⁾ Meanwhile, state and local governments are bracing for health insurance cost increases nearing 10% by 2026—the steepest increase in more than 15 years—fueled by skyrocketing demand for GLP-1's, chronic disease prevalence, and new pharmaceutical tariffs. ^(2,3) 

Amid this volatility, one innovator is putting transparency and accountability before profit, forging a new path forward for employers, brokers, and patients. "Pharmaceutical manufacturers are excellent at providing the medicines Americans need, the problem is that access to them is controlled by profit structures that don't serve patients," said Paul Pruitt, Chief Growth Officer of SHARx. "We built SHARx to remove that barrier and return control to patients and the employers who are paying for healthcare benefits."

SHARx, a St. Louis–based company, offers an ethical, member-first model not offered by traditional pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and alternative funding programs (AFPs). SHARx has a simple but revolutionary promise: members get access to affordable medications—no markups and no hidden costs.

A New Model: Transparent, Scalable, Ethical

Unlike traditional PBMs and AFPs that profit through rebates, opaque markups, and charging a hefty percentage of savings, SHARx operates on a transparent pricing model—charging a simple subscription fee. This approach ensures that patients have affordable access to medications.

"For years, employers and patients have been held hostage by a system that allows manufacturers to set list prices that are often ten to fifty times higher than production costs," said Pruitt. "Meanwhile, PBMs pocket billions in undisclosed rebates. AFPs emerged as a countermeasure to this entrenched and broken model, not to cause more harm to patients. The reality is that AFPs exist because the traditional drug pricing ecosystem failed to protect patients and payers, but their model profits on the problem."

By leveraging a global supply network and partnering with organizations such as the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company, SHARx is helping employer plan sponsors reinvest prescription waste into better benefits and flatten premiums to employees. The company's strategy integrates patient advocacy, cost efficiency, and ethical sourcing—a combination that resonates in a market where trust in the current pricing model continues to erode.

"SHARx existed before AFPs came onto the scene; we wanted to provide access by offering a flat subscription fee, unlike AFPs. AFPs don't fix a badly broken system, that's where SHARx comes in. Every dollar our clients spend on pharmaceuticals is visible and verifiable," Leslie Hunsel, Chief Strategy Officer explained. "That's how you build trust. For us, transparency isn't just a buzzword - it's a responsibility."

Charging a percentage of savings is the same as "profiting on the problem" and perpetuating higher costs. "Many of the so-called solutions make more money when the drug costs more," Pruitt said. "SHARx was built on ethical sourcing to ensure our members have affordable access to medications outside the confines of traditional insurance," says Corey Durbin, CEO of SHARx.

Building an Equitable Future for Access

For Pruitt, this mission is deeply personal. His family's experience navigating the healthcare system for children who require medications costing nearly $2 million a year inspired the SHARx business model. That experience shapes the company's unwavering commitment to compassion, transparency, and systemic reform.

"Every family should be able to afford the medicine that keeps them alive, and they should not have to jump through hoops to get it," Pruitt said. "When the system fails to make that possible, it's not just a policy issue, it's a moral one." ⁽⁵⁾ 

Since its start up, SHARx has supported more than 500,000 members across 47 states, and partnered with over 1,000 employers and 200 brokers. The company has grown rapidly (with nearly 110 employees) by proving that sustainable cost control and patient-centered care can coexist.

Navigating Policy Shifts with Resilience

The 100% pharmaceutical import tariffs announced October 1, 2025, and new most-favored-nation (MFN) pricing rules have injected fresh uncertainty into U.S. drug markets. ⁽⁶⁾ These changes aim to align domestic drug prices with the lowest prices in other developed nations, but they also risk destabilizing the pharmaceutical supply chain.⁽⁷⁾ 

SHARx's model helps employers and patients stay protected from those pricing shocks by anchoring costs to transparent sourcing and fixed pass-through contracts.

"We're proving that you can save money, protect your people, and do the right thing, all at once," said Hunsel. "There is no other company in the market like SHARx, and our approach makes ethical business and financial sustainability the same conversation."

This philosophy is resonating across industries. Public agencies, unions, and private employers have increasingly turned to SHARx to stabilize their healthcare benefit budgets and avoid the volatility caused by pharmaceutical price swings. By replacing opaque intermediaries with a transparent, data-driven model, SHARx enables organizations to forecast costs and make smarter, long-term healthcare investments.

A Bridge to Better Ways

The SHARx team believes the U.S. healthcare market doesn't need incremental reform—it needs bold restructuring. The company's success illustrates what's possible when patient outcomes and employer values are prioritized and aligned through transparency and ethics. As more policymakers and employers demand accountability from PBMs and AFPs, SHARx stands out as proof that transparency can be both good business and good medicine.

"Healthcare shouldn't be a maze; it should be a bridge," said Durbin. "Our goal is to make that bridge stronger, clearer, and open to everyone, and that is why we stand up for Americans in this fight."

About SHARx

SHARx was founded to fight back against the broken system of overpriced prescription drugs. Industry pioneers Corey Durbin and Paul Pruitt built SHARx to put people before profits. With an innovative and ethical sourcing model, SHARx cuts through the waste with radical transparency, common-sense cost containments, and a member-first approach. No hidden markups. No games. Just the meds people need, delivered affordably, reliably, and with dignity.

Learn more at: https://sharxplan.com

References

1. IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science. Understanding the Use of Medicines in the U.S. 2025. IQVIA, Apr. 2025, iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports-and-publications/reports/understanding-the-use-of-medicines-in-the-us-2025
2. Associated Press. "Trump Hikes Tariffs on Heavy Trucks, Pharma and Kitchen Cabinets." AP News, 25 Sept. 2025, apnews.com/article/30e0ca1409747e92f374b436e9fef64d
3. Murphy, Tom. "Why Your Health Insurance May Soon Cost a Lot More." The Washington Post, 12 Sept. 2025, washingtonpost.com/health/2025/09/12/tariffs-ozempic-health-insurance-premiums/
4. McGough, Matt. "Tariffs Are Driving 2026 Health Insurance Premiums Up." KFF Quick Takes, 16 June 2025, kff.org/quick-take/tariffs-are-driving-2026-health-insurance-premiums-up/
5. BenefitsAlly. "SHARx – 3x3x3 Challenge with Paul Pruitt." BenefitsAlly, 2024, benefitsally.com/videos/d390d7b71511e6c75a/sharx-3x3x3-challenge-with-paul-pruitt
6. The White House. "Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients." The White House, 12 May 2025, whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/delivering-most-favored-nation-prescription-drug-pricing-to-american-patients/
7. Kansteiner, Fraiser. "Trump Tariffs Threaten US Drug Supplies and Risk Higher Prices, Trade Groups Warn." Fierce Pharma, 3 Feb. 2025,fiercepharma.com/pharma/trump-tariffs-could-stymie-us-generics-boost-layoffs-and-raise-drug-prices-industry-groups.

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SOURCE SHARx