“The time for comprehensive reform is now.”

ARLINGTON, Va. – National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) president and chief executive officer Steven Anderson issued the following statement today upon passage of the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act (S. 127) by the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee:

“NACDS applauds the continued focus and diligence that the U.S. Congress is bringing to PBM reform, as evidenced most recently by the passage of this legislation by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. We commend Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) for their leadership and dedication.

“During the Committee’s consideration of the bill there was widespread bipartisan consensus that it is time to end the harmful tactics of ‘pharmaceutical benefit manipulators.’ These tactics fuel middlemen’s profits at the expense of patients, communities, employers, taxpayers, and pharmacies. For too long, this manipulation has been allowed to force patients and others to pay more for their medicines, to limit patients’ access to their pharmacist, to restrict patients’ access to the medicines right for them, and to jeopardize the pharmacies on which patients rely.

“NACDS looks forward to working on a bipartisan basis throughout the U.S. Congress to implement NACDS’ Principles of PBM Reform. NACDS’ Principles of PBM reform include: stopping explosive retroactive fees; stopping below-cost reimbursement; stopping the gaming of performance measures; stopping ‘specialty definitions’ from steering patients from their pharmacy; stopping mandatory mail-order; stopping limited networks; stopping overwhelming audits; and stopping the undercutting of PBM reform laws.

“The time for comprehensive reform is now.”

More information is available at an NACDS web page.