(Washington, D.C.) — The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) issued the following statement on the Restore Prescription Drugs Discount Act, introduced by U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY):

“We applaud Sen. Paul for introducing legislation to modernize the Robinson Patman antitrust statute. The Robinson Patman Act currently requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to use rebates as the pathway to achieve savings on prescription drugs. Updating the law could allow for upfront discounting on prescription drugs as one alternative approach, which could lower out-of-pocket costs for patients, especially for patients enrolled in high-deductible health plans. A reexamination of the law could also give additional transparency to employers, patients, and policymakers on the amount drug companies are lowering costs as a result of negotiations with PBMs.

“The evidence and data clearly show that drug prices are not correlated to rebates. Rebates and discounts are not the cause of the high drug prices set by manufacturers and are a critically important way to achieve lower drug costs. We support Congress reviewing the Robinson Patman Act and encourage that any reforms maintain PBMs’ ability to negotiate discounts from drug companies to deliver savings to employers, unions, taxpayers, and patients.

“PBMs support lower list prices on all prescription drugs for every patient and look forward to working with Congress on the Restore Prescription Drugs Discount Act.”

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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 289 million patients.