,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #abbg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april #bi1    
#bjai ,mr4 ,grassley 7for himself1 ,ms4 
,cantwell1 ,mr4 ,daines1 ,mr4           
,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 and ,ms4   
,ernst7 introduced the following bill2  
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill
  ,to require the ,federal ,trade       
,commission to study the role of        
intermediaries in the pharmaceutical    
supply chain and provide ,congress with 
appropriate policy recommendations1 and 
for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,prescription ,pricing for the ,people  
,act of #bjai4  #b4 ,definitions ,in    
this ,act3 7#a7 ,appropriate committees 
of congress ,the term appropriate       
committees of ,congress means--  7,a7   
the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the 
,senate2 and  7,b7 the ,committee on the
 ,judiciary of the ,house of            
,representatives4  7#b7 ,commission ,the

 term ,commission means the ,federal    
,trade ,commission4  #c4 ,study of      
pharmaceutical supply chain             
intermediaries and merger activity  7a7 
,report ,not later than #a year after   
the date of enactment of this ,act1 the 
,commission shall submit to the         
appropriate committees of ,congress a   
report that--  7#a7 addresses at        
minimum-- 7,a7 whether pharmacy benefit 
managers--  7i7 charge payers 7including
 ,medicare and ,medicaid7 a higher price
 than the reimbursement rate at which   
the pharmacy benefit managers reimburses
 competing pharmacies while reimbursing 
pharmacies in which the pharmacy benefit
 managers have an ownership interest at 
the rate charged to payers2  7ii7 steer 
patients to pharmacies in which the     
pharmacy benefit managers have an       
ownership interest2  7iii7 audit or     
review proprietary data1 including      
acquisition costs1 patient information1 
or dispensing information1 of competing 
pharmacies that can be used for         

anticompetitive purposes2 or  7iv7 use  
formulary designs to depress the market 
share of low-cost1 lower-rebate         
prescription drugs2  7,b7 the current   
state of competition in the             
pharmaceutical supply chain1            
particularly with regard to             
intermediaries and the recent vertical  
integrations of pharmacy benefit        
managers with insurance companies or    
other payers of prescription drug       
benefits2  7,c7 how companies and payers
 assess the benefits1 costs1 and risks  
of contracting with intermediaries1     
including pharmacy services             
administrative organizations1 and       
whether more information about the roles
 of intermediaries should be available  
to consumers and payers2 and  7,d7      
whether there are any specific legal or 
regulatory obstacles the ,commission    
currently faces in ensuring a           
competitive and transparent marketplace 
in the pharmaceutical supply chain1     
including the pharmacy benefit manager  

marketplace and pharmacy services       
administrative organizations2 and  7#b7 
provides-- 7,a7 observations or         
conclusions drawn from the ,november    
#bjag roundtable entitled ,understanding
 ,competition in ,prescription ,drug    
,markets3 ,entry and ,supply ,chain     
,dynamics1 and any similar efforts2     
7,b7 specific actions the ,commission   
intends to take as a result of the      
,november #bjag roundtable1 and any     
similar efforts1 including a detailed   
description of relevant forthcoming     
actions1 additional research or         
roundtable discussions1 consumer        
education efforts1 or enforcement       
actions2 and  7,c7 policy or legislative
 recommendations to-- 7i7 improve       
transparency and competition in the     
pharmaceutical supply chain2  7ii7      
prevent and deter anticompetitive       
behavior in the pharmaceutical supply   
chain2 and  7iii7 best ensure that      
consumers benefit from any cost savings 
or efficiencies that may result from    

mergers and consolidations4  7b7        
,interim report ,not later than #ahj    
days after the date of enactment of this
 ,act1 the ,commission shall submit to  
the appropriate committees of ,congress 
an interim report on the progress of the
 report required by subsection 7a71     
along with preliminary findings and     
conclusions based on information        
collected to that date4