SCRIPT Act signed into law in NC: What does it mean for prescriptions?

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Independent pharmacies got a win in North Carolina this week after Gov. Josh Stein signed the SCRIPT Act into law.

The SCRIPT Act means more transparency will be behind prescription drug costs. It will be more fair for local pharmacies to work with pharmacy benefit managers.

Brent Talley, a pharmacist and owner of Hayes Barton Pharmacy in Raleigh, worked with legislators for months to get the bill passed and signed into law.

“[PBMs] are middlemen in between us the insurance company,” Talley said. “They determine our contracts and what we’re going to get paid.”

As it stands without the law, PBMs can force pharmacies to sell drugs at prices so low the pharmacy will lose money. The law changes that while making sure you’re not paying higher prices.

“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,” Talley said.

According Talley, predatory PBMs have forced some independent pharmacies across the state to shut down completely, including in areas where they’re 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.”

Talley is hopeful with more fairness in the game, healthcare options won’t shrink.

“To be able to make sure that those pharmacies are able to stay in business and serve their communities is part of the reason this bill is here,” he said.

Several other states already have similar laws to regulate PBM practices.