FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809
RALEIGH – Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today alerted pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that North Carolina’s SCRIPT Act is now in effect and the Department of Justice and Department of Insurance intend to work together to ensure fair drug prices.
“Commissioner Causey and I are working together to enforce this new law to ensure fair drug prices in North Carolina,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “We are prepared to take action on behalf of millions of North Carolinians who need these medications and deserve fair pricing.”
PBMs act as middlemen between drug manufacturers and health insurers. While they began as a way to streamline prescription drug claims for insurance companies, they now have immense power over people’s access to prescription drugs, the prices they pay for them, and how much pharmacies get reimbursed. A few PBMs control more than three-fourths of the country’s 6.6 billion prescription drugs.
In their letter, Attorney General Jackson and Commissioner Causey alert PBMs that “NCDOI and NCDOJ will uphold the legislative mandate of the General Assembly and, where warranted, will pursue all available remedies under law.”
The North Carolina legislature passed the SCRIPT Act in 2025, and most of the law has gone into effect since. The SCRIPT Act requires that PBMs must:
- Allow any pharmacy to participate in their network and allow patients to use their pharmacy of choice.
- Pass on most of the savings they negotiate with drugmakers directly to the patient.
- Submit annual reports to NCDOI about their prescription drug benefits, reimbursements, and other information to ensure transparency.
- More fairly reimburse independent pharmacies.
The law also gives the Department of Insurance stronger regulatory and enforcement authority and gives the Department of Justice additional authority to enforce North Carolina’s Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act against PBMs.
A copy of the letter is available here.
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