Tag: Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A new class action lawsuit filed against Caremark is the latest move in the fight to rein in the “revenue grab” of pharmacy benefit managers, says the National Community Pharmacists Association.  The NCPA is not a named party in the lawsuit, which was filed Sept. 27, but has helped educate the law firms behind it, says Anne Cassity, senior vice president of government affairs at association.  “These (pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration...

WEST LINN, Ore. - The Oregon State Pharmacy Association and the National Community Pharmacists Association support the Oregon Health Authority’s recommendation that the state “should enact legislation that focuses on patient and pharmacy protections and increasing transparency in the prescription drug supply chain.” The recommendation, which was part of the state’s recent audit report on PBMs, builds on a 2022 report OSPA released in collaboration with 3 Axis Advisors that...

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - Enos Home Medical has expanded its footprint in northern Massachusetts and reinforced its focus on the hospice market with a recent acquisition of “significant DME assets” in the area, says Jon Enos.  The acquisition better positions Enos Home Medical to “meet current dynamic market conditions and today’s ever-changing medical landscape,” the company says.  “We are excited to be able to reach even more hospice patients in the...

WASHINGTON – The National Community Pharmacists Association welcomes the passage of the Promoting Access to Treatments and Increasing Extremely Needed Transparency (PATIENT) Act, H.R. 3561, by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The PATIENT Act, which passed the committee 49-0, includes several provisions vital to lowering prescription drug costs and bringing transparency to the practices of pharmacy benefit managers, the NCPA says. “Patients and community pharmacies have been advocating...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association hosted a congressional fly-in on April 26-27 that drew hundreds of community pharmacists from 36 states and Washington, D.C., for visits and meetings with more than 230 congressional offices. It was NCPA’s first fly-in since the COVID-19 pandemic. “One of the most important meetings for independent community pharmacists has long been NCPA’s Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In, and I’m thrilled it was back on...

ELYRIA, Ohio – Invacare has filed a Form NT 10-K notifying the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it is unable to file its annual report for the period ending Dec. 31, 2022, within the prescribed time period due to its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.  “Due to the considerable time and resources the company’s management is devoting to the Chapter 11 cases, and the need to prepare and review the disclosures required in the Form 10-K as a result of the Chapter 11 cases,...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association supports two pieces of legislation re-introduced in the Senate that seek to bring transparency to pharmacy benefit managers. Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have reintroduced:  The PBM Transparency Act (S. 127) would provide plan sponsors/employers transparency on how PBMs administer their pharmacy benefit and clarifies the Federal Trade Commission’s enforcement authority to prohibit...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A letter signed by 207 organizations supports the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act, S.4293, and asks Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to bring it for a full vote in the Senate. The bill, which was introduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in May, passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in June. “We applaud the recent efforts of the Commerce Committee to advance S. 4293 on a bipartisan...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Constant efforts by independent pharmacy stakeholders have unleashed a “tidal wave” of activity to reform pharmacy benefit managers, says Matthew Seiler, general counsel for the National Community Pharmacists Association.  In June, the Federal Trade Commission announced it would initiate a formal study of PBM behavior and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted to advance the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act introduced...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association and 41 state pharmacy associations are providing input to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Rutledge v. PCMA. The NAIC is developing educational materials on the case for members and state insurance commissioners who are tasked with enforcing state PBM regulations like the 2015 Arkansas law that led to the Rutledge decision. “The Supreme Court decision in Rutledge...