Mark Cuban Sells Mavericks Stake to Disrupt the U.S. Healthcare System

TL/DR –

Mark Cuban, the former owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has sold his stake in the basketball team to focus on disrupting the U.S. healthcare system. He has founded the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company with the purpose of challenging the opaque pricing practices of pharmacy benefit managers by offering transparent pricing and minimal markup fees on medication. In addition to selling thousands of generic and some brand-name drugs directly to patients, Cuban’s company has begun manufacturing two generic drugs to aid shortages and needs in hospitals and is planning to scale up production of additional medications by the end of 2025.

Mark Cuban: From Mavericks Owner to Healthcare Disruptor

Former Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, is now on a mission to disrupt the U.S. healthcare system. Notorious for his brash approach to business and basketball, Cuban surprised many when he sold his majority stake in the Mavericks in late 2023 to focus on his latest venture.

His new company, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, aims to challenge the $5 trillion U.S. healthcare system. “I want my legacy to be disrupting the healthcare industry,” Cuban said.

The Problem with PBMs

Cuban criticises Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) like CVS Caremark, Cigna’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth’s OptumRx for their lack of transparency and dubious practices. PBMs were created to lower drug costs, but often drive up prices for consumers. They control which drugs insurance covers and which pharmacies can fill prescriptions, often causing distrust and limiting choices for consumers.

Introducing Cost Plus Drugs

As per the mission stated on its website, CostPlusDrugs.com, Mark Cuban’s new venture aims to disrupt the drug industry and end high drug prices. The company sells thousands of generic and some brand name medications directly to patients, with transparent pricing and minimal markup fees.

Cost Plus Drugs’ goal is to make medications affordable by cutting out PBMs. “We reveal the price we purchase the drugs at,” said the company. Cuban backed the company as the sole investor after a cold e-mail from the Colorado-based radiologist who conceived the idea nearly a decade ago.

Manufacturing Drugs to Aid Hospital Shortages

The Dallas-based company opened a 22,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in March 2024. Currently, it manufactures Norepinephrine and Oxytocin to aid shortages and needs in hospitals. The company plans to increase the production of additional medications by the end of 2025.

Mark Cuban’s Next Chapter

While he no longer oversees basketball operations, Cuban remains committed to winning in every aspect of life. At 66, Cuban’s focus is on making an impact. “I want to be remembered as a great dad,” he stated. Cuban will also be leaving ABC’s hit TV show Shark Tank at the end of the season to spend more time with family.

Embracing this new chapter of his life, Cuban affirmed, “When I die, I want to come back as me.”

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