Letter - Pharmacy merger would hurt economy

To the editor:

My grandparents, Archie and Clara Trumm, came to this community 60 years ago and purchased a drug store. Since that time, four generations of my family have served Alexandria and the surrounding communities as pharmacists who genuinely care about the families here and want our communities to be healthy.

Unless you’re a doctor or pharmacist, you may not realize that there are companies known as pharmacy benefit managers that broker agreements between health benefit plans and pharmacies on prescription drug costs and contract terms. Two of these companies, called Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions, are planning to merge. As a lifelong pharmacist, I believe that such a merger would lead to reduced access to the pharmacy of one’s choice and to higher prescription drug costs.

Trumm Drug and other community pharmacies have joined a nationwide coalition of pharmacists, small businesses and consumers who are opposed to this merger, and we encourage families who rely on a retail pharmacy to find out more at www.preservingcommunitypharmacy.com.

This planned merger could happen as soon as the first part of next year, and it is not in the best interest of our economy, our community pharmacy services, or the health of American families.

Mark Trumm, RPh

Alexandria, MN

Tags: opinion, letters