With as much as two-thirds of retail pharmacy operators' business tied up in the potential Express Scripts-Medco merger, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and nine retail pharmacy companies on Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging the merger.

The fourth annual National Association of Chain Drug Stores RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill wrapped up March 22 on a high note. With pharmacists and pharmacy students from around the country able to secure more than 350 meetings with members of the U.S. House and Senate and their staffs last week, most lawmakers who serve on congressional committees with jurisdiction on healthcare issues got to hear pharmacy’s position on prescription reimbursements, fair payment for pharmacy services and the proposed merger of pharmacy benefit management giants Express Scripts and Medco.

This is a critical time for the industry as the Federal Trade Commission is expected to decide the fate of the Express Scripts-Medco merger in the coming weeks. ESI-Medco, and the pharmacy benefit manager threat in general, were at the top of the list of what members of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores came to talk about at the organization's annual NACDS RxImpact Day, as chains asked lawmkers to support new legislation that would bring greater transparency to PBM bookkeeping and to tell the FTC to block ESI-Medco.

In anticipation of hundreds of meetings between pharmacy advocates and members of Congress and their staff as part of NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores sent a letter to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., applauding the introduction of her legislation on Tuesday that would establish Medicare standards for pharmacy audits and reimbursement by pharmacy benefit managers.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation has launched a new program designed to annually educate assistant professors from U.S. schools and colleges of pharmacy about designing, implementing and publishing community pharmacy-based patient care research.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores is heading to Capitol Hill next week for its RxImpact Day event, during which it will press its case against the proposed ESI-Medco merger.

Written testimony submitted by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores underscored chain pharmacies’ commitment to patient safety as part of the next Prescription Drug User Fee Act reauthorization, and emphasized that community pharmacist-provided services help improve health outcomes without the introduction of unproven technologies.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores on Tuesday expressed support for H.R. 4095, “The Online Pharmacy Safety Act,” which the organization said will help consumers protect themselves against the growing threat of illegitimate online drug sellers.

The call to Congress to reject budget proposals that would increase co-pays for prescription medications at community pharmacies for Tricare patients is important as the war between the pharmacy and pharmacy benefit manager lobbies heats up.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association are urging Congress to reject budget proposals that would limit pharmacy choice for Tricare beneficiaries.

The National Consumers League, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy have recognized five pharmacy schools for their public education efforts to help patients adhere to their medication routines.