PBMs are back – and they’re everywhere this week. Following the launch of a new advertising campaign, media outlets are taking notice. A new video ad from PCMA, Mom’s Medicine, highlights how PBMs help families afford the medication they need.
Bloomberg was first to scoop the new advertising campaign, calling it “a kickoff point for a messaging rebrand.” They sat down with David Marin, President and CEO of PCMA, who shared the motivation behind the new campaign:
“We are certainly responding to this political moment in time by emphasizing savings, by emphasizing affordability,” David Marin, freshly minted president and CEO of the trade group, said in an interview.
“We need that cost savings message to be heard and understood,” Marin added. “Drug prices are still too high for too many; they’d be a ton higher without PBMs.”
Inside Health Policy also highlighted the importance of the PBM industry showing up in the policy debate, quoting Marin:
“Our industry has been defined by others for too long, and this effort represents a major step toward recapturing our own identity. The objective for our campaign is simple: policymakers in Washington will have a clearer understanding of the ways PBMs are lowering drug costs and helping patients live healthier lives.”
Politico joined in, describing how the initiative fits into the broader goals of the PBM industry – and what’s to come for PCMA:
“The campaign is the start of a long-term investment in communicating our value,” Brendan Buck, a longtime Washington operator who is now PCMA’s chief communications officer, wrote in a memo. “We pledge to always be on, telling our story.”
Campaign ads were also front and center in Punchbowl News this week, with PCMA appearing as the featured sponsor across their daily newsletters.
Coverage also pointed to the recent passage of landmark PBM reforms shaping the conversation. STAT News noted that the campaign launch comes on the heels of “Congress’s overhaul of pharmacy benefits managers in February, when they were required to increase transparency on drug prices and other data. Measures also mandated that PBMs delink the price of a drug to compensation in Medicare Part D and fully pass through 100% of drug rebates to employer health plans.”
The campaign marks an important step in telling a fuller story about PBMs. Learn more at PBM.org.