Judge Blocks Arkansas Law Barring Pharmacy Benefit Managers From Owning Pharmacies

State Attorney General Tim Griffin said he respected the court’s decision and planned to appeal.

A CVS branch in Pasadena, Calif., on May 16, 2023. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

A federal judge on Monday issued a preliminary injunction against an Arkansas law that would have prohibited pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from owning pharmacies in the state.

U.S. District Judge Brian Miller wrote in the July 28 order that HB1150, set to take effect on Aug. 5, “appears to overtly discriminate against plaintiffs as out of state companies and the state has failed to show that it has no other means to advance its interest.”