On Tuesday, Kevin DeMass, the owner of the Apothecary Shoppe in Salt Lake City, hosted FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak along with Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) and Utah Insurance Commissioner Jon Pike for a pharmacy tour and discussion on how PBMs drive up the cost of medications. Also attending the meeting were other community pharmacists from the Salt Lake City area and the Utah Pharmacy Association. Participants emphasized the need for Congress to pass legislation addressing PBMs and for the FTC to complete its 6(b) study. DeMass explained how PBMs profit off of higher priced medications due to rebates and how those profits often come at the expense of consumers. This pharmacy visit is particularly important because Holyoak is one of the two new republican FTC commissioners.
NCPA
