Dive Brief:
- The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) is seeking a congressional hearing to examine the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the growing controversy over prescription drug price hikes, reflected in the uproar over EpiPen costs.
- The NCPA’s chairman sent a letter to House Oversight and Government Reform bipartisan leadership, saying PBMs should be questioned for their role in the mushrooming costs of the epinephrine auto-injector and other increases.
- The NCPA’s letter raises the bar in the continuing tug-of-war over the blame for high drug prices, between the community pharmacists and PBMs who negotiate prices with drug makers through the healthcare system.
Dive Insight:
The continued uproar of EpiPen price hikes roiling through Capital Hill has given the National Community Pharmacist Association an opening, in its words, to ”shine more light on roles of all players in the chain” of drugmakers and pharmacists. But essentially, the NCPA wants the beam to shine particularly on the role of pharmaceutical benefit managers, its letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) shows.
While commending the congressional leadership for conducting a hearing last month about EpiPen, the NCPA asked for another hearing specifically to examine PBM’s alleged role in the price hikes, related to its contract negotiations, ostensibly to curb costs. EpiPen’s prices have skyrocketed from $100 for a pack of two to more than $600 currently.
"Nearly ever epinephrine auto-injector that is paid by the federal funded programs comes through PBMS," wrote NCPA's CEO B. Douglas Hoey. "We believe Congress should find out how big a chunk they are taking out of the cost of the absurdly high epinephrine auto-injector that we focused on during the hearing."
NCPA represents the interests of more than 22,000 independent community pharmacists. On the flip side stands the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents the PBMs, which administer prescription drug plans for more than 256 million people, including those who have commercial and union-covered health plans.
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO Mark Merritt said in a statement his organization’s members have significantly reduced costs, while overall patient share cost has increased from 26% of list price in 2009 to 11% in 2016.