(Updates with CVS Health's reply in the third paragraph.)

A federal judge in Missouri declined Tuesday to accept the request of pharmacy benefit managers to enjoin the Federal Trade Commission's in-house case alleging they systematically preferred high-list-price insulin products in violation of the FTC Act.

The complaint, originally filed last November by CVS Health's (CVS) CVS Caremark, UnitedHealth Group's (UNH) Optum Rx and Cigna Group's (CI) Express Scripts, called the FTC's administrative proceeding unconstitutional and sought an injunction to stop it.

"Drugmakers alone set the price of insulin, but the FTC has already demonstrated it is not interested in considering our full perspective on this topic," a CVS spokesperson told MT Newswires via email. "We will continue to fight this unfair and unconstitutional proceeding."

UnitedHealth and Cigna did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Price: 66.32, Change: +0.75, Percent Change: +1.14