Support Us
​PUTT News & Updates

PUTT, PSSNY Asked to Provide Summary Recommendations to White House for Drug Pricing Reform

September 17, 2020

Dr. David Gortler, PharmD, FCCP, a 2nd generation independent pharmacist and the first pharmacist to be appointed to a senior advisory position with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and PUTT Executive Director Monique Whitney co-authored a Summary Proposal of Recommendations to lower drug prices which was submitted to the Trump Administration on Monday, Sept. 14th.

Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY), the Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association (LIPA), and several other pharmacy organizations contributed to the document, which was submitted at the request of senior ranking trade advisors. 

The 27-page plan contained a series of recommendations focused on strict PBM reform measures. Guidelines submitted included:

  • Eliminate “safe harbor” protections for rebate kickbacks 
  • Create nationwide “Any Willing Provider” (AWP) laws
  • Bar PBMs from using profit-motivated, anti-patient delay tactics 
  • Require PBMs to be pharmacy benefits plan administrators (PBAs)
  • End Direct and Indirect Remuneration (DIR) fees
    Continue Reading

CA Independent Pharmacies Sue Major PBM Over Illegal Price Discrimination and Below Cost Reimbursements

EIN Presswire
September 15, 2020

The newest litigation against a major pharmacy benefit manager comes from a most likely source: their small business victims. Unwilling to tolerate the low reimbursements which threaten to drive them out of business, more than 30 California independent pharmacies have sued pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) OptumRx, a division of UnitedHealth Group, charging the company violated California laws by paying them less than their acquisition costs and illegally steering their patients to Optum’s own mail-order pharmacy.

The lawsuit alleges that OptumRx ignored California law, unlawfully paid California pharmacies substantially less than it paid large chain retail pharmacies - like CVS or Walgreens - and its own mail-order pharmacy for the same prescriptions. The lawsuit further alleges that OptumRx deliberately reimbursed these independent California pharmacies below their wholesale cost to acquire generic prescription drugs necessary for their patients.
​
Continue Reading

#StopPBMabuse

​The below tweets only begin to scratch the surface on the ways that PBMs continually use abusive tactics against pharmacies and their patients. The fact that these predatory practices are continuing during a national medical emergency is inexcusable.

If your pharmacy or patients are being targeted by PBM abusive tactics, please visit our Evidence Upload page to share information about the incident!
Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency (PUTT) is a non-profit advocacy organization founded by independent pharmacists and pharmacy owners devoted to exposing the truth about the anti-competitive tactics of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) - drug benefits plan providers whose unregulated, secretive practices drive up prescription costs and annually waste hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. 

Become a Friend of PUTT!  ​Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter!

Address information is required to ensure your correct legislative district through our Voter Voice system. PUTT will never share or sell any of your information to other companies or 3rd party vendors. For questions please contact us at info@truthrx.org