Witty switches sides

FORMER GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) boss Sir Andrew Witty has taken a top job at a company involved in drug pricing – putting him on the opposite side of the negotiating table to his successor Emma Walmsley.

Witty, 53, is the new chief executive of Optum, part of US-based insurance giant Unitedhealthcare Group, in charge of pharmacy benefit manager Optumrx, a ‘middleman’ between drug makers and buyers in America.

Pharmacy benefit managers manage the lists of drugs insurers or buyers such as pharmacies are willing to pay for. Witty left GSK last March, with Walmsley taking over. In his new role, he has significant influence over the pricing of drugs bought from GSK.