Marta Wosinska, the FTC’s Bureau of Economics director, resigned on Feb. 16, a day before the FTC planned to vote on a study into pharmacy benefit managers.
The Federal Trade Commission’s top economist abruptly quit last week amid internal disagreements over a proposed study into pharmacy benefit managers, three people familiar with the situation said.
Marta Wosinska, the FTC’s Bureau of Economics director, resigned on Feb. 16, a day before the FTC was set to vote on a study into PBMs, the companies that negotiate rebates from pharmaceutical manufacturers and develop lists of prescription drugs that health insurers will cover.
Wosinska — who specializes in health care economics and previously worked for the Food and Drug Administration — had served as the FTC’s top economist since April 2021. The people, speaking anonymously to discuss internal agency deliberations, didn’t know Wosinska’s specific objections to the proposed study. She didn’t respond to emails and calls for comment.
An FTC spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment.
But her resignation came amid fierce internal debate about the agency’s plans to study the PBM industry, a frequent target for lawmakers, patient groups and independent pharmacies who blame the industry for contributing to high drug prices.
At its open meeting the next day, the FTC deadlocked on moving forward with the study because of objections by the commissioner’s two Republican members. The FTC is currently split 2-2 as the Senate considers the nomination of Democrat Alvaro Bedoya to fill the fifth slot — a stalemate that has thwarted progressive FTC Chair Lina Khan’s plans for more aggressive enforcement.
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