Pharma manufacturers may be breathing a sigh of relief as PBMs appear now to be the main focus of lawmakers’ actions on prescription drug pricing. January saw the reintroduction of two pieces of bipartisan Senate legislation, while February brought a Senate hearing focused on PBMs’ transparency and accountability. And in March, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, revealed that he is launching an investigation into those practices. The move continues to keep pressure on the entities over some of their practices and lack of transparency amid concerns around drug prices.
Comer’s move comes more than a year after that committee held a forum titled Reviewing the Role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers in Pharmaceutical Markets. Held Nov. 17, 2021, that event featured a variety of stakeholders within the health care system who spoke about an array of issues, including PBM consolidation, “anticompetitive tactics,” rebates, the need for transparency and PBMs’ role in drug costs. That December, the committee published a report conducted by its staffers on these practices and other issues titled A View from Congress: The Role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers in Pharmaceutical Markets.