Dr. Maisa Hider, owner of Community Care Pharmacy in Garden City, Michigan, spoke publicly Tuesday about a class action lawsuit she filed against GoodRx late last year. The complaint alleges the company conspired with major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to suppress reimbursement rates for generic drugs.
Hider said the alleged scheme disproportionately impacts independent pharmacies, which operate on thin margins, while larger chains such as CVS are better able to absorb lower reimbursements.
"This movement isn't one lawsuit, it's not two lawsuits. It's thousands of pharmacies and thousands of pharmacists that can't take it anymore," Hider said during a press conference hosted by the MENA American Chamber of Commerce. "Knowing that the PBMs are profiting off of not only the patient and the pharmacy but the general public alike. We thought this was a great opportunity to step up for our patients and the community at large and say enough is enough."
The lawsuit is part of a flurry of recent legal action against GoodRx and other PBMs. Last year, Keaveny Drug, Old Baltimore Pike Apothecary and Smith’s Pharmacy filed similar lawsuits in Los Angeles and Providence, Rhode Island. While Community Care Pharmacy’s class action names only GoodRx as a defendant, the other two lawsuits list GoodRx Holdings, CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, MedImpact Healthcare Systems, and Navitus Health Solutions — many of which were also referenced in Community Care Pharmacy’s complaint.
According to Hider and other supporters, the alleged PBM practices are driving small pharmacies out of business, with roughly two closing each month in Michigan, and are reducing patient access to affordable medications. Representatives from the Michigan Pharmacists Association echoed these concerns, warning that current PBM practices inflate costs for consumers and put independent pharmacies at a competitive disadvantage.
GoodRx did not respond to requests for comment from CBS News Detroit, which reported on the press conference.
The lawsuit comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny of PBMs, a market that has increasingly consolidated into a few large, vertically integrated entities. Critics argue that PBMs inflate drug costs through practices such as spread pricing and rebates, restrict patient choice by steering consumers toward affiliated pharmacies or higher-rebate drugs, and under-reimburse independent pharmacies, putting them at a financial disadvantage.
Earlier this year, Arkansas became the first state to ban PBM-owned pharmacies, although the legislation is under review. Other states, including Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Texas, and Vermont, have considered or enacted similar measures. Proposed federal legislation has sought to require PBMs to divest from pharmacy ownership, and President Trump has signaled renewed interest in the role of intermediaries.
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