Pharmacy Middlemen Dodge FTC Competition Probe in Split Vote (2)

The Federal Trade Commission Thursday failed to reach consensus on launching a study into the reimbursement rates set by the entities that manage prescription drug benefits on behalf of health insurers and Medicare Part D plans.

The FTC in a 2-2 party-line vote decided to not open a probe into pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and whether their drug price setting practices unfairly favor PBM-affiliated pharmacies at the expense of independent or specialty ones.

The move comes despite fervent demands from pharmacy and patient advocacy groups to look into a complex component of the health-care industry that has traditionally remained without ...