ARLINGTON,  Va. – National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) president and CEO Steven C. Anderson issued the following statements in relation to President Biden’s State of the Union Address:

 On the future of patients’ access to pharmacy services:

 “While we all want to move on from COVID-19, doing so should not mean leaving behind millions of Americans who have relied on their trusted, local pharmacies for testing, vaccinations, and care during the pandemic. America’s pharmacies serve as a healthcare lifeline, particularly for rural and historically-excluded communities, and the Administration and Congress should work with pharmacies to ensure continued access and service to those who need it most.”

On patients’ access to prescription medications:

“America’s pharmacies applaud the bipartisan commitment to provide patients with access to more affordable medicines, and we urge the President and Congress to go further by stopping the manipulation by pharmacy benefit manager middlemen (PBM) that is increasing patients’ medication costs, limiting patients’ choice of pharmacies, and restricting access to medicines that are right for them. Pharmaceutical benefit manipulation can no longer be tolerated, and policymakers should demand accountability, transparency, and fairness in how PBMs operate and impact patients and the pharmacy teams who serve them.”