US pharmacy collective bargaining under fire

A dispute over the findings of a Congressional Budget Office report into the effect on drug costs for patients and insurers of independent pharmacy collective bargaining rules has erupted in the USA. According to the Association of Community Pharmacists' Congressional Network (ACP*CN), the study exposes as "bogus" the claims of pharmacy benefit managers that drug costs over five years would be $29.0 billion higher under the antitrust exemptions for pharmacies being considered by the House of Representatives (HR971).

The group notes the CBO findings, which were that the cost increase would be about $727.0 million, spread over a decade.