Bipartisan act unmutes US pharmacists on lower-cost drug options

US President Donald Trump has signed legislation preventing so-called ‘gag clauses,’ used for years by pharmacy benefit managers to restrict access to cheaper off-plan options.

While said to be increasingly rare, a gag clause limits the information pharmacists can give to patients, preventing them from offering alternatives that would mean lower out-of-pocket costs.

Research indicates that certain Medicare patients could be paying over $100 million more for their prescriptions than is necessary.