With its ruling to maintain the status quo, the FTC has decided to take a back-seat and force independent pharmacies to fend for themselves in their on-going fight to secure access to fair prices that allow them to stay in business and continue to serve their local communities and the well-being of their patients.
On February 17, the Federal Trade Commission voted against the commission of a study on Pharmacy Benefit Mangers’ (PBMs) relationships with affiliated and independent pharmacies. The study would have examined the competitive impact of PBM-pharmacy contractual provisions, reimbursements, and fees affecting drug prices that adversely impact independent pharmacies. With its ruling to maintain the status quo, the FTC has decided to take a back-seat and force independent pharmacies to fend for themselves in their on-going fight to secure access to fair prices that allow them to stay in business and continue to serve their local communities and the well-being of their patients.
While the FTC remains on the sidelines, now is the time for plan sponsors and their members to take a hard look at PBMs and their oppressive practices that threaten to drive independent pharmacies out of business and, in doing so, reduce patient access to trusted and talented healthcare providers. We can all sit back and criticize the FTC for not acting, or we, as healthcare consumers, can step up to the plate and do what we can to show our local pharmacies that we value them and that we are here to help them secure access to fair prices.
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