NACDS warns of Express Scripts-Medco deal in radio ad
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has launched a new drive-time radio advertisement in the Washington, D.C., market to warn of the potential consequences of the proposed merger between pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and Medco.
The ad, which was launched in line with a hearing that will take place in Congress this week pertaining to the deal, further warns of the deal's "feared anticompetitive and anticonsumer consequences," NACDS said. The ad also discusses “an unknown middleman controlling the majority of private pharmacy benefits” and the merged entity’s “unprecedented power over drug supplies, drug prices and access to … medicine,” the pharmacy group added.
“NACDS has utilized advertising as part of a comprehensive effort to tell the true story of pharmacies as the face of neighborhood health care and the unparalleled value of pharmacies in improving patient health and reducing costs,” NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson said. “NACDS is committed to utilizing the modern tools of advocacy to present innovative solutions for advancing cost-effective and high-quality patient care, as well as to vigorously confront serious threats that jeopardize these vital principles."