On May 17, the AUA joined the Alliance of Specialty Medicine (ASM) in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Request for Information (RFI) regarding whether the FTC should undertake a study of the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry and if the study should focus on pharmacy industry issues or explore manufacturer issues. In the letter, the Alliance states PBMs become primary gatekeepers to commercial pharmaceutical markets which benefits that price concession system. This ultimately causes out-of-pocket drug prices to increase for patients. The letter references a finalized rule by the Office of the Inspector General to remove the safe harbor from anti-kickback law for rebates from drug companies unless the rebates are accessible to patients. PBMs have over-consolidated the pharmaceutical industry, acquiring physician practices to gain full control of prescriptions.
The AUA continues to lead and support committees in efforts to reduce drug pricing and cost-sharing for treatments associated with urologic diseases. A copy of the letter is attached.
05_20_2022_Alliance_Spec_Med_--_FTC_RFI_May_2022.pdf