Pharmacy Organizations Press for Immediate PBM Reform as Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing

Feb 26 · Advocacy

As the Health Subcommittee of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee holds a hearing this week, a coalition of organizations representing pharmacies and pharmacists across all practice settings is praising “continued scrutiny” and pressing for “immediate action” on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform.

The multi-association coalition – including the the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association, the American Pharmacists Association, FMI – The Food Industry Association, the National Grocers Association, and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations – stated the following in a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Health Subcommittee Chairman Buddy Carter (R-GA), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO):

“As pharmacists and pharmacy owners and operators across all practice settings, we strongly encourage continued scrutiny of some market-dominant pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) middlemen practices that inflate prescription drug costs for more than 300 million Americans, force pharmacy closures in many small towns and under-resourced areas, and block access to Americans’ pharmacies of choice….”

Click here to read the full press release.

Click here to read the coalition letter on PBM reform.

Click here to read “An Examination of How Reining in PBMs Will Drive Competition and Lower Costs for Patients,” testimony By Sheila Arquette, President and CEO, NASP.