Originally Published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The problem, says physician Robert Levin, is the lack of transparency in those transactions.
Dr. Levin is president of the Illinois-based Alliance for Transparent and Affordable Prescriptions, or ATAP, a group of patient and provider groups that says it was formed out of concern “that PBMs play an increasingly anti-competitive and harmful role in the pharmaceutical supply chain.”
“They tell everybody how much good they’re doing, how they’re protecting patient safety and how much money they’re saving,” said Dr. Levin in a phone interview.
“They may be saving money with the whole rebate system. The question is, who is benefitting?”