Supreme Court Rules Against PBMs
Justices ruled that an Arkansas law can be used to regulate pharmacy benefit managers. In other news, a federal district court ruled against a law requiring women seeking abortion medication to visit a doctor’s office.
Stat:
Supreme Court Upholds Controversial Arkansas Law That Regulates Pharmacy Benefit Managers
In a blow to pharmacy benefit managers, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an Arkansas law can be used to regulate these controversial middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain. The state law governs reimbursements rates that pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, must pay to pharmacies. (Silverman, 12/10)
And a federal judge in Maryland has ruled in an abortion case —
The Washington Post:
Abortion Medication Restrictions Remain Lifted During Pandemic, Judge Rules
A federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s effort to reinstate rules requiring women seeking abortion medication to visit a doctor’s office or clinic in person during the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Maryland said the health risks have “only gotten worse” since he first blocked restrictions in the summer in response to concerns about exposure to the coronavirus. (Marimow, 12/10)
The Hill:
Judge Denies Trump Administration Request To Enforce In-Person Pickup Requirement For Abortion Pill
A federal judge denied a request from the Trump administration to reinstate a longstanding rule requiring that people seeking abortion pills obtain them in person in a health care setting. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang declined to lift his earlier order blocking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from enforcing the policy during the pandemic, siding with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which argued the requirement needlessly exposes patients to COVID-19 risk. (Hellmann, 12/10)
In other news from Texas —
The New York Times:
Lillian Blancas, Candidate For A Texas Judgeship, Dies Of Covid-19
Lillian E. Blancas, a widely respected lawyer in El Paso, always wanted to be a judge. She was expected to achieve her goal on Saturday in a runoff election, in which she was the favorite. Ms. Blancas died at a hospital in the city on Monday. She was 47. The cause was Covid-19, her brother Moises Blancas said. Ms. Blancas, was an assistant district attorney and public defender for nearly a decade before she opened her own law firm in 2019, came in first in a field of three on Nov. 3 in the race for an open seat in El Paso’s municipal court. Because she did not win a majority of the votes, the race went to an automatic runoff. (Risen, 12/10)
