Proposal to Study the Shifting Landscape of Pharmacies in the US and Implications for Drug Spending

The project aims to shed light on current practices in the pharmacy market and to analyze possible implications of recent market changes to inform policymakers and legislators in their effort to control drug cost increases. The project will start with a literature review of peer-reviewed and lay media articles on the pharmacy sector to establish a foundation of existing scholarship and summarize the varied roles of retail pharmacies in the U.S. prescription drug market. Next, the researchers will interview a purposive sample of key stakeholders from within and outside the pharmacy industry, including representatives of large retail pharmacies, independent pharmacies, Amazon/PillPack, health plans, and policymakers. Findings will be presented in an issue brief that will include a policy discussion on the pharmacy industry, including identification of the most salient issues and policies that offer the best opportunity to control drugs costs.