NCPA warns of further strain on indie pharmacies
By HME News Staff
Updated 9:23 AM CDT, Mon May 12, 2025
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The National Community Pharmacists Association, in recent comments to the Department of Commerce, is urging the Trump administration to ensure that any tariffs on the pharmaceutical sector are carefully tailored to avoid further strain on patients and independently owned community and long-term care pharmacies.
The association expressed specific concerns that tariffs could trigger shortages in the near term and force independent pharmacies to absorb higher costs.
“Pharmacies are unable to pass these increased costs to patients, as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) determine out-of-pocket costs for patients and dictate pharmacy reimbursement for the dispensing of medications,” wrote Steve Postal, JD, NCPA’s senior director of policy and regulatory affairs. "Should pharmaceutical tariffs be enacted, it is imperative that the administration require PBMs to adjust reimbursements to pharmacies within 24 hours of price increases to account for increased drug acquisition costs should tariffs go into effect.”
NCPA is urging the Trump administration to establish certain exclusions from any tariffs, incentivize U.S. manufacturing through supportive domestic and trade policies, and reform the PBM payment model to strengthen domestic supply chains and reimburse pharmacies fairly.
To read Postal’s comments on behalf of NCPA, click here.
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