The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) is applauding the signing of Oregon House Bill 4149, which “will provide the state with enforcement authority, requiring pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to be licensed by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services beginning Jan. 1, 2025.”

In an April 18 press release, the NACDS said House Bill 4149, signed by Gov. Tina Kotek on April 4, “will help reduce prescription drug costs and preserve Oregonians’ vital access to pharmacy care by holding pharmacy benefit managers accountable.”

“Enactment of HB 4149 serves as a major victory for patients and for the Oregon pharmacies of all sizes on which they rely,” said NACDS President/CEO Steven C. Anderson. “NACDS is appreciative of the leadership of Gov. Tina Kotek, of State Representatives Nancy Nathanson (D), Christine Goodwin (R), Rob Nosse (D), Ed Diehl (R), of State Senators Mark Meek (D) and Deb Patterson (D), and of the Oregon State Pharmacy Association. Importantly, this PBM reform bill passed with overwhelming majorities in the Oregon House and the Senate — further underscoring the bipartisan nature of the issue.

“Oregonians rely on their neighborhood pharmacies for an array of health-care services — including health screenings, disease management, vaccinations, testing services, patient counseling, essential medications, and more. Critically, HB 4149 includes important reforms that will help confront PBM middlemen’s inflationary effects on drug prices and their tactics that force pharmacies to sell medications below cost, and that force pharmacies to close their doors — ultimately jeopardizing continuity of care.”

NACDS noted that a recent poll the organization commissioned found that 84% of adults in Oregon said it is “very or somewhat easy to access pharmacies,” the highest score among the health-care facilities included in the survey.