According to AARP CEO William D. Novelli, "AARP is committed to making prescription drugs more affordable, both in the District and throughout the nation. That's why we strongly advocated for the passage of AccessRx, which will help DC residents of all ages get the drugs they need at prices they can afford. We believe an important component of this legislation is to make business transactions of Pharmaceutical Benefit Managers more transparent in order to drive down the cost of prescription drugs. We are committed to working with the DC government to defend this important law."

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association ("PCMA") filed suit in U.S. District Court June 28 to block enforcement of Title II of AccessRx. PCMA, which represents Pharmacy Benefit Managers ("PBMs") that control prescription drug plans for more over 200 million Americans, seeks to block the part of the law that requires transparent business practices.

Title II demands greater accountability from PBMs by requiring the disclosure of conflicts of interest and any payments received from drug manufacturers for dispensing particular drugs.

Catania stated, "PCMA's constituent members have a long tradition of using lawsuits to protect their ability to price gouge and continue their oligopolistic practices. Like the tobacco industry before them, the use of lawsuits will not protect them from being held accountable for anti-consumer actions."

AARP's Amicus Brief will focus on the role of PBMs and the policy concerns implicated in PBM regulation. This will aid the Court in a deeper understanding of how the issues it must decide will affect the cost and availability of drugs for consumers. AARP is joined in this motion by the AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly and the Prescription Access Litigation Project.

Sharon Baskerville, executive director of the District of Columbia Primary Care Association, asserted, "The District deserves to know what deals the pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBM) make with the drug companies to sell and promote their drugs. With so much money and tax-payer dollars spent on health care, government should require transparency. AccessRx goes a long way to assuring we have information in return for our public health dollars."

Sandy Allen, Chair of the Committee on Human Services and Councilmember for Ward 8 went on to say, "There is something fundamentally wrong with a society, which has had such great advances in medical care, but yet prices the very people these advancements are designed to help out of the market. I co-introduced the AccessRx Act because I believe it is intolerable that many District seniors and working families can no longer afford prescription drugs or health insurance. Through increased transparency we can truly hold companies accountable to the health care consumer."

For more information regarding this matter, contact Grier Mendel with AARP at 202-434-7704 or Ross Weber with the Office of Councilmember Catania at 202-724-7772.