North Carolina officials on Tuesday alerted pharmacy benefit managers that the state's SCRIPT Act, intended to ensure fair drug prices, is now in effect. "We are prepared to take action on behalf of millions of North Carolinians who need these medications and deserve fair pricing," Attorney General Jeff Jackson said in a news release.
The North Carolina Legislature passed the SCRIPT Act in 2025, and most of the law since has gone into effect. Under the law, PBMs must:
- Allow any pharmacy to participate in their network and allow patients to use their pharmacy of choice.
- Pass on most of the savings they negotiate with drugmakers directly to the patient.
- Submit annual reports to state Department of Insurance about their prescription drug benefits, reimbursements and other information to ensure transparency.
- More fairly reimburse independent pharmacies.
The law also gives the state Department of Insurance stronger regulatory and enforcement authority and provides the Department of Justice additional authority to enforce North Carolina's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act against PBMs.
Brent Talley, a pharmacist and owner of Hayes Barton Pharmacy in Raleigh, N.C., worked with legislators to get the SCRIPT Act passed and signed into law. "PBMs are middlemen in between us and the insurance company," he told WNCN-TV when the law was enacted. "They determine our contracts and what we're going to get paid."
Without the law, PBMs could force pharmacies to sell drugs at prices so low that the pharmacy would lose money, he said. "The law changes that, while making sure you're not paying higher prices," Talley said. "If anything, the law would lower prices, because part of the law also creates a little bit more transparency in where the money is flowing from PBMs."
According to Talley, predatory PBMs have forced some independent pharmacies across the state to shut down completely, including in areas where they are desperately needed.
"We have 100 counties in North Carolina," he said. "For a lot of them, the independent is the only one that's in that county. If that pharmacy goes away, that patient may have to drive 30 to 50 miles to get to the next-closest pharmacy."
PBM practices recently have come under increased federal and state scrutiny. Earlier this year, Arkansas became the first state to ban PBM-owned pharmacies, although the legislation is under review. Several other states have considered or enacted similar restrictions, including Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Texas and Vermont. 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.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.