Republican State Lawmaker Bud Cook, who represents Washington and Greene counties, along with Democratic State Representative Jessica Benham from Allegheny County, participated in a “Save the Pharmacies” tour on Wednesday at Curtis Pharmacy in Carmichaels, in Greene County, to illustrate how her legislation will help smaller pharmacies compete and make medication more affordable for the patients they serve. “I’ve spoken with independent pharmacy owners in big cities, small towns, and everywhere in between,” said Benham. “And the story is always the same, that the pharmaceutical industry is currently set up to allow large corporations to dominate the market and drive up the cost of prescription drugs. “Given the lack of oversight on pharmacy benefit managers, I’m not surprised more than 140 Pennsylvania pharmacies have closed this year. I know the new reforms Governor Shapiro signed into law last week will help more community pharmacies stay in business, and I’m so proud we were able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to get this done.” “Convenient access to affordable prescription drugs is absolutely vital to the health and well-being of our citizens, and we cannot achieve that mission without independent pharmacies like those represented here today,” Cook said. “By reforming the way Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) operates, we can better protect these independent pharmacies and ensure they remain open to meet the needs of our communities.” “There is bipartisan support at both the state and federal level for PBM reform – that speaks to the significance of the issue,” said Curtis Pharmacy owner Erich Cushey. “We’ve had many local pharmacies close, and the chains are pushing us out. This new law is a great start, and we appreciate the governor and both sides of the aisle in passing the bill, but there will be more work to be done.”