Antitrust Immunity For Community Pharmacists?
Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee Antitrust Task Force held a hearing on H.R. 971, the Community Pharmacy Fairness Act of 2007, provide antitrust immunity to “independent pharmacies” to engage in collective bargaining to secure higher fees and more favorable contract terms from health plans. Testifying were:
- Mike James (Association of Community Pharmacists Congressional Network)
- Peter Rankin (Charles River Associates)
- David Wales (Deputy Director, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission); related FTC press release
- David Balto (On behalf the National Community Pharmacists Association)
- Robert Dozier (Mississippi Independent Pharmacists Association)
Rankin and Wales oppose the bill, the others favor it.
Side note: the bill defines independent pharmacies as “a pharmacy which is not owned (or operated) by a publicly traded company.”
RSS Feed
