Challenge to Pharmacy Benefit Managers Halted in Federal Court

A West Virginia pharmacy’s lawsuit against the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers hit a wall in federal court Tuesday, after a judge determined the court lacked jurisdiction over the complaint.

Waterfront Family Pharmacy LLC sued UnitedHealth Group division OptumRx Inc., EverNorth Health Services’ Express Scripts Inc., and CVS’s Caremark PHC LLC in March 2025, arguing the PBMs violated state law by paying Waterfront less than they pay their own affiliated pharmacies. The companies also violated West Virginia’s Pharmacy Audit Integrity Act by not publicly reporting reimbursement rates, Waterfront said.

But Judge Thomas S. Kleeh of the US ...