focus -WSS

focus

author：explore 2025-09-29 22:52:12 - browse：8

Illustration of a laptop on top of a TV with a hand sticking out, holding a newspaper. -- coverage from STAT — Adobe

WASHINGTON – If you live in this city, you’re probably awash in pharmacy benefit manager ads — whether you’re listening to an NPR podcast, reading the New York Times, streaming “Yellowstone,” or watching the U.S. Open Golf Championships. It doesn’t matter if it’s 5 a.m., primetime, or 11 p.m.; in between ads for dog joint supplements and the “Barbie” movie, you will inevitably learn about these middlemen of the prescription drug market.

Ads eviscerating and glorifying PBMs have been around for years. But they’ve intensified over the past three months as Congress scrutinizes PBMs’ role in shaping high drug prices. Over a half-dozen U.S. House and Senate Committees have started investigating PBMs, advancing bipartisan legislation to increase transparency in the industry; ban PBMs from charging more for a drug than what they pay (and pocketing the difference); and require them to pass all fees, rebates, and other payments they receive to insurers.

Lobbying groups have responded to this legislative push with dueling campaigns in the court of public opinion. On one side is the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the trade association representing PBMs, which argues that pharmaceutical companies are responsible for high drug prices. On the other side is the industry group PhRMA, which points the finger right back, saying that PBMs are really to blame. Both trade associations have launched ad campaigns worth millions of dollars, blanketing TV, radio, social media, print, and beyond.

Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT+ and enjoy your first 30 days free!

GET STARTED Log In

Previous article： Sports medicine is finally prioritizing gender equality
Next article： Baby aspirin cuts fat buildup in liver disease patients, in small study

WSS

It was time to plan for my old age. If only I could stop crying

Doctors are clamoring for more clarity on Paxlovid prescribing

Readout Newsletter: Bluebird, CVS, Contineum

With heat waves through August, officials warn of health risks

St. Louis police protesters begin picking up checks in $4.9 million settlement

CVS Caremark has created a new ploy: the drug ‘rebate credit’

hotspot

focus

hotspot

Heart attack and stroke risk calculators need revising

NFL doctors' conflicts of interest could endanger players, report says

What does generative AI mean for health care? We asked experts

Leading voice in opioid treatment defends methadone clinic system

The Supreme Court will review a ruling striking down a domestic violence federal gun ban

Leading voice in opioid treatment defends methadone clinic system

Virginia high school admissions case could be legal follow

Argenx readies a blockbuster opportunity with drug for autoimmune disease

Affirmative action in medical school literally saved lives

McConnell is warmly embraced by Kentucky Republicans amid questions about his health

focus

Judge in Trump's classified documents case questions use of out

U.K. not yet recommending Vertex's CRISPR therapy for sickle cell

With heat waves through August, officials warn of health risks

It was time to plan for my old age. If only I could stop crying

Slovenia has suffered its worst

Readout Newsletter: Geron, Novo Nordisk, WuXi updates

leisure time

hotspot

focus

explore