WASHINGTON, DC –
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis today joined Robert Annicharico, Owner of Staten Island’s Delco Drugs & Specialty Pharmacy, and a bipartisan and bicameral group of colleagues in pushing Congress to pass legislation that would crack down on the predatory practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) that raise the cost of prescription drugs.
“When it comes to PBMs, there’s little to no transparency on their pricing practices, and they’re raking in a lot of money by dictating what their competitors are able to make”, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis said.”Because of this, ‘Mom & Pop’ pharmacies across America, including in my district, are being crushed, and the costs are being passed down to consumers. We’ve passed bipartisan legislation out of the Ways and Means Committee to end these predatory practices, increase transparency and lower prescription drug costs, and the time is now for Congress to take it up so we can protect our local pharmacies and support patients who are struggling to afford their life-saving medications.”
“As a pharmacist in an independent practice, I observe directly how patients and PBMs interact”, said Robert Annicharico, Owner of Delco Drugs & Speciality Pharmacy.”What I see isn’t pretty. PBMs are creating two primary barriers for my patients. The first is higher out of pocket costs for the medicines my patients need. The second is unfair and unfathomable reimbursement rates for the services and medicines my community pharmacy provides. These practices threaten not only the viability of my community pharmacy but also the health of my patients. And that’s why I’m asking for reform.”
Malliotakis is an original cosponsor of H.R.2880, the Protecting Patients Against PBM Abuses Act and introduced H.R. 4881, the Protecting Patients from Middlemen Act, which passed out of the Ways and Means Committee and included in the committee’s Health Care Price Transparency Act of 2023.
