The Hill News

The goal of antitrust policy is to protect competition and consumers, not to protect the interests of any particular group of competitors. This fundamental principle is critical when reviewing recent commentary on the proposed merger of Express Scripts and Medco, two Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). 

A recent opinion piece by David Balto (Step up to the plate: FTC needs to stop the Express Scripts-Medco merger- November 2,2011)
 rehashes the positions of retail pharmacy groups that repeatedly have been disproven by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). 

Mr. Balto and the lobby for retail pharmacies have waged a l! ong-running battle in state capitals and in Washington to restrict PBMs because they are unhappy that PBMs negotiate lower prescription drug prices for employees, union members, and others than retail pharmacies would charge if left to their own devices.

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