(Washington, D.C.) — Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO JC Scott released the following statement today ahead of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing titled “The Role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers in Prescription Drug Markets Part I: Self-Interest or Health Care?”:

“To hold an Oversight hearing focused on one industry, without inviting a witness who can speak to the depth and diversity of that industry or offer a balanced perspective and answer key questions, should raise concerns about a powerful panel pursuing predetermined conclusions to pick winners and losers in the marketplace.”

“Without hearing from the wider industry in question, and without taking a broader look at the entire supply chain, the Oversight Committee risks fundamentally misconstruing the role of pharmacy benefit companies and playing right into the hands of Big Pharma, which wants nothing more than to weaken this one check on big drug companies’ otherwise unlimited pricing power and avoid accountability for their egregious abuse of the patent system that blocks competition and keeps prices high.”

“We encourage the committee to reconsider its approach to this investigation to ensure its findings, and any related policy recommendations, accurately and fairly consider the facts, and the negative implications for patients and employers of any government intervention in the market that undermines the cost-saving value of pharmacy benefit companies.”

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PCMA is the national association representing America’s pharmacy benefit companies. Pharmacy benefit companies are working every day to secure savings, enable better health outcomes, and support access to quality prescription drug coverage for more than 275 million patients.