A dozen independent Arkansas pharmacies have filed a lawsuit against pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts, alleging that it paid them less than the cost of prescription drugs.
Under Arkansas law, a pharmacy benefit manager may not reimburse a pharmacy less than what it paid for the drug.
The pharmacies estimated that Express Scripts reimbursed less than the actual drug cost at least 48,300 times between August 2025 and March 2026, according to the Sept. 15 lawsuit. Achor Family Pharmacy, owned by state Rep. Brandon Achor, is one of the plaintiffs.
According to the lawsuit, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publishes National Average Drug Acquisition Cost data every week. That includes the drug cost, quantity, and fill date—everything a benefit manager needs to calculate a minimum payment for pharmacies….