With state and federal legislators and regulators casting a wider net of new laws and regulations over the pharmacy benefit management industry, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) need to get more involved in lawmaking, recruit allies, stay flexible and informed — and hire more lawyers, according to members of a panel about how PBMs are responding to government policy changes at the 2025 Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute Annual National Conference in Orlando, Florida.

“If your legal department consists of someone who used to be your best implementation coordinator, that's not going to cut it anymore,” said Eric Barker, chief health strategist officer at True Rx, a pharmacist-owned PBM headquartered in Washington, Indiana. “You need experts; you're going to need attorneys and compliance

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