ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association is pleased to announce that Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan is headlining the roster of speakers at the organization’s 2022 Annual Convention, set for Oct. 1-4 in Kansas City, Mo. Khan will be speaking during the Second General Session on Monday, Oct. 3. Her remarks will include a “fireside chat” with NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey as well as a question-and-answer session.

Lina Khan

“As FTC chair, Khan has been receptive to hearing the concerns of independent pharmacists, and this is a great opportunity to get her thoughts about issues in our industry and talk about the important work her agency does on behalf of consumers,” Hoey says. “I appreciate that she’s taking the time to join us and be a part of our strong lineup of speakers. This NCPA convention is going to be one for the books!”

Khan was sworn in as chair of the Federal Trade Commission on June 15, 2021. She had previously criticized vertical mergers in technology. A focus on dominant market players was music to the ears of independent pharmacists who for years have been squeezed by a handful of corporate entities in the health care space. NCPA welcomed Khan’s appointment and asked that the agency swiftly review the effects of consolidation and vertical integration of health insurance plans and pharmacy benefit managers, and the resulting impact on independent pharmacies and patients. During events in April 2022 and June 2022, NCPA President Michele Belcher described to Khan and others how vertical consolidation in the industry has limited access to care, stifled innovation, and increased prices for consumers. As a result of ongoing advocacy by NCPA and others, the FTC in June voted unanimously to proceed with a 6(b) study of PBM business practices including fees and clawbacks charged to unaffiliated pharmacies, patient-steering, audits of independent pharmacies, reimbursement, and more.

Previously announced speakers at NCPA’s 2022 Annual Convention are Mike Abrashoff, former commander of the USS Benfold and author of three books, and Will Flanary, MD, an ophthalmologist and comedian who moonlights in his free time as “Dr. Glaucomflecken” on social media.