US EditionSenate Panel Votes to Tighten Rules on Big Pharmacy Firms
- Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders supports a new state law targeting pharmacy benefit managers, set to take effect in January 2026, that aims to protect small pharmacies and restrict PBMs from owning pharmacies in the state.
- CVS, which owns Caremark, one of the largest PBMs, has threatened to close all 23 of its Arkansas pharmacies in response to the law, reflecting tensions over PBMs’ market control and reimbursement practices.
- Sanders criticized CVS for prioritizing ownership of PBMs over operating pharmacies and expressed optimism that the law will preserve local pharmacy access and reduce prescription drug prices for consumers.
- The law prohibits PBMs from steering customers to owned pharmacies and requires negotiated discounts to benefit employers and consumers, aiming to shift the balance toward independent pharmacies after a lobbying battle.
- Similar legislation is emerging nationally, including in Louisiana and New York, signaling a broader movement to regulate PBMs for improving pharmacy viability and lowering drug costs across states.
24 Articles
24 Articles
15 quiet casualties of the 2025 legislative session
(Photo: April Corbin Girnus/Nevada Current)The pharmaceutical middlemen who play a role in inflating consumer drug prices escaped additional regulations by state lawmakers, after the Nevada State Legislature failed to pass a bill designed to curb how much profit they can make. Democratic state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen’s Senate Bill 316 would have established “guardrails” for pharmaceutical benefit managers, such as requiring PBMs to pass along to co…
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Pa. pharmacists demand state action to regulate PBMs, curb pharmacy closures
A shuttered independent pharmacy in Harrisburg. (Capital-Star photo by Vincent DiFonzo)Last month, pharmacists from across the state travelled to Harrisburg for an urgent meeting with lawmakers. Their goal was to communicate a simple message — pharmacies are closing at an alarming rate, eliminating one of the few places customers can receive free, unscheduled consultations with medical professionals. They warned they’re being driven out of busi…
The Advocate
NolaInside the battle over prescription drug prices and pharmacies in the Louisiana Legislature
Independent pharmacies gained the upper hand Wednesday against pharmacy benefit managers following a behind-the-scenes lobbying battle over what has been one of the biggest unsettled policy issues in the final days of the regular legislative session.
louisianafirstnews.com
Senate panel votes to tighten rules on big pharmacy firms
BATON ROUGE, La. (LSU Manship School News Service) -- A bill aimed at increasing transparency in how pharmacy benefit managers operate advanced out of the Senate Insurance Committee Wednesday, signaling a push to regulate an industry that critics say drives up drug prices and puts local pharmacies at risk. House Bill 264, authored by Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, cleared the committee with amendments that would ban pricing schemes, strengthen o…
Sarah Sanders Won’t Back Down After CVS Threatens To Leave Arkansas
Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not backing down after pharmacy giant CVS has threatened to leave the state over a new state law targeting drug middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.In an interview with The Daily Wire, Sanders said she would not allow CVS, which owns one of the “Big Three” PBMs called Caremark, to “manipulate and control the market simply so that they keep a few stores in our state open.” “It sho…
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