ALEXANDRIA, Va. — In addition to submitting its own comments to the Federal Trade Commission about anticompetitive pharmacy benefit manager contracting practices, the National Community Pharmacists Association encouraged independent pharmacy advocates to also submit comments with specific examples of contractual issues and the harm they cause to patients and neighborhood pharmacies. More than 3,000 advocate comments were submitted to the FTC before its Sept. 30 deadline because of these efforts.

Running a small business is difficult enough, advocates wrote. When your biggest competitors are also near-monopolies that control your pricing and your patients’ choices, it’s almost impossible. For a healthier, more competitive pharmacy market, these practices must be stopped.

“The thousands of powerful statements from community pharmacy supporters add a personal touch to the case we’ve been making to the FTC and other policymakers at listening sessions, in comments, or in other ways,” says NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey. “We have every reason to believe this FTC is listening and that the tide is turning toward a more level playing field between PBM-affiliated pharmacies and non-affiliated pharmacies.”

FTC Chair Lina Khan recently outlined her policy priorities for the commission which include rampant consolidation and the market dominance it creates; looking at how middlemen across the economy use their market position to hike fees, dictate terms, and protect and extend their market power; and focusing on contracts that impose restrictions that hamper a free and fair economy.