Which pricing term represents the list price at which the manufacturer sells the drug to the wholesaler?

• A. WAC
• B. ASP
• C. AWP
• D. AAC

Answer: (A)

Wholesale Acquisition Cost is the manufacturer’s published list price charged to wholesalers before any discounts. It serves as the baseline in the drug pricing chain and is used to derive other pricing benchmarks. In practice, the actual price wholesalers pay is usually lower due to negotiated discounts and rebates, so WAC is not the net price but the starting point. Other terms like Average Wholesale Price represent higher, often inflated reference prices, while Average Acquisition Cost reflects what pharmacies pay after discounts and rebates. So the list price the manufacturer sells to the wholesaler is Wholesale Acquisition Cost.