From Dr. Brandon Gregory at Good Graces Pharmacy:
Independent and community pharmacies—longstanding anchors of local healthcare—are being systematically undermined by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) through practices that restrict patient access, suppress fair reimbursement, and force closures. The result is not merely the loss of pharmacies, but the expansion of healthcare deserts that leave entire communities without reliable access to care, medications, and trusted clinical guidance.
In response, a national coalition has formed with a singular purpose: to bind together retail pharmacy as an industry and ensure its viability well into the future. This effort recognizes a stark reality—if current conditions persist, there will soon be no meaningful “competition” left for PBMs to manage, and patients will bear the consequences.
The coalition’s strategy is direct and urgent: take the fight to the federal level. The Federal Trade Commission is actively investigating PBM practices following multiple complaints alleging unfair and anticompetitive conduct that diminishes patient access. However, many of these complaints lack critical detail due to HIPAA constraints and the chilling effect of PBM gag orders. Time is not on our side. Continued delay risks rendering investigation moot as local pharmacies disappear altogether.
Momentum is building. Several states have already begun challenging PBMs and are seeing early success in reclaiming funds and restoring balance for retail pharmacies. Now is the moment to unify nationally, amplify these efforts, and move forward with clarity and resolve.
The coalition is calling on pharmacists, patients, legislators, and community members to stand together by supporting and sharing the FTC petition available at:
https://unite2fight.net/ftcpbm/
This petition must reach thousands of voices nationwide—and it must do so quickly—to ensure a meaningful and timely federal submission. Participants are encouraged to share the petition widely, post materials in their stores, and engage their communities in these critical conversations.
Retail pharmacies need their communities, and communities need their pharmacies. This is not a fight for adequacy or survival alone—it is a fight for the future health, access, and resilience of local care across America.
