Recent efforts to reform pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the United States were thwarted as Congress failed to include measures in the bipartisan government funding package. These measures aimed to increase transparency in the industry and change certain practices of PBMs, which act as intermediaries between drug manufacturers and insurers.
The proposed legislation would have required PBMs to disclose more information on negotiated rebates, drug pricing, and pharmacy compensation. It also sought to eliminate the connection between drug prices and PBM compensation in Medicare Part D plans, shifting to a flat fee payment model.
