(Washington, DC)-The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) issued the following statement in response to new comparative effectiveness legislation (“The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Act of 2009”) introduced today by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Senate Budget Committee Chair Kent Conrad (D-N.D.):

“Comparative effectiveness research will improve clinical decision-making, enhance quality and discourage wasteful spending. 

“Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have long been at the forefront of efforts to bring more measurement, accountability, and real-time information to the health care system.  Along with pharmacy & therapeutics (P&T) committees, other proven PBM utilization tools-including multi-tier formularies and step therapy-ensure that patients have access to cost-effective and clinically proven prescription drugs.”