Alexandria, Va., April 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a significant victory for patients and community pharmacies in Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed HB 1150 into law today. This is groundbreaking legislation that prohibits state permits to pharmacies owned by pharmacy benefit managers effective Jan. 1, 2026. The National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents the country’s independent pharmacies, supported the Arkansas Pharmacists Association’s leadership on HB 1150 as it moved through the legislative process.
APA is the voice of Arkansas pharmacists and has worked hard to advance HB 1150 and other PBM reform efforts. NCPA, which represents the country’s independent community pharmacies, has also persistently advocated that state and federal policymakers rein in the conflicts of interest and anticompetitive business practices that arise with PBMs vertically integrated upstream with health insurers and downstream with pharmacies. These practices include contract terms that restrict competitors’ access to patients, massive clawbacks, steering patients away from competing community pharmacies, below-cost reimbursements, and punitive audit practices. Prohibiting PBM ownership of pharmacies via HB 1150 would put an end to these tactics and promote Arkansans’ access to quality pharmacy care.
“Today is a new day in Arkansas for our patients as the fox will no longer guard the henhouse,” said John Vinson, APA’s chief executive officer. “This bipartisan legislation passed overwhelmingly to protect public health and safety for Arkansans. HB 1150 will stop the abusive self-dealing at PBM affiliated pharmacies that raises prescription drug prices and limits patient access. The pharmacists of Arkansas are very grateful for a courageous legislature and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We also thank Attorney General Tim Griffin for his support.”
“Time and time again, PBMs have proven themselves to be resistant to transparency and reform,” said Anne Cassity, NCPA’s senior vice president of government affairs. “HB 1150 is a structural change that gets to the heart of the problem – the conflicts of interest inherent in vertical integration that PBMs have been manipulating to the detriment of patients, taxpayers, and pharmacies. We applaud HB 1150 and are eager to see its provisions implemented in Arkansas and, ideally, throughout the country."
Since the introduction of HB 1150, similar ownership provisions were introduced or amended into bills in Indiana, New York, Texas, and Vermont. Additionally, on April 14, a bipartisan coalition of 39 state and territory attorneys general sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to pass legislation prohibiting PBMs from owning or operating pharmacies. A bill to do so was introduced late last year by Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Reps. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) – who wrote a letter in support of Arkansas HB 1150 – and Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.).
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About APA
The Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA) is the voice of Arkansas pharmacists and is dedicated to promoting public health by advancing the professional and business environment for its members to be successful and fulfilled in serving patients. Founded in 1882, the APA represents over 2,300 members consisting of pharmacists, pharmacy students, pharmacy technicians and members of the industry who support the objectives of the Association. The APA seeks to empower pharmacists to be leaders in integrated healthcare and patient care management as medication experts. To learn more about the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, visit arrx.org.
About NCPA
Founded in 1898, the National Community Pharmacists Association is the voice for the community pharmacist, representing over 18,900 pharmacies that employ more than 205,000 individuals nationwide. Community pharmacies are rooted in the communities where they are located and are among America’s most accessible health care providers. To learn more, visit ncpa.org.
Andie Pivarunas National Community Pharmacists Association 703-600-1174 andrea.pivarunas@ncpa.org
