U.S. FTC seeks comments on how benefits managers affect small pharmacies
Reuters
Published Feb 24, 2022 05:47PM ET
By Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday it was seeking public comment on how pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) affect smaller pharmacies and consumers, after commissioners could not agree this month on whether to approve a study of the plans.
The request for comment includes questions around the impact of PBM rebates and fees on drug prices, whether patients are forced to substitute drugs in order to maximize PBM rebates and fees, conflicts of interest and other issues.
The agency said in a statement that it was inviting public comment on the big PBMs, which include CVS Caremark, UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH)'s OptumRx and Cigna Corp (NYSE:CI)'s Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX).
FTC Chair Lina Khan failed to win needed Republican support last week for an indepth study of PBMs, which serve as intermediaries between drug manufacturers, health insurance plans and pharmacies to negotiate prescription drug prices. The two Democrats on the commission voted yes while the two Republicans voted no. A tie vote means the study cannot go forward.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.