PBM trade group weighs in on drug pricing discussion

A leading US pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) trade group, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), has sent letters to several congressional committees urging consideration of several policy options aimed at reducing prescription drug costs.

The lobbying action comes after a powerful committee of the newly-inaugurated Democratic House of Representatives launched a far-ranging investigation into the drug pricing practices of the pharmaceutical industry.

Chief among the PCMA’s suggestions are that Congress should address Part D's “protected classes.” The group argues that designating "classes of clinical concern" where drugs must be covered “allows drug manufacturers to name their price.”