Burns backs local pharmacy in fight against PBM
Plans new legislation and asks Gov. Shapiro for review
Rep. Frank Burns February 17, 2026 | 9:12 AM
JOHNSTOWN, Feb. 17 — As a local pharmacy chain battles a major pharmacy benefit manager over its ability to fill prescriptions, state Rep. Frank Burns said he is preparing legislation to address the issue and has asked Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office to review the matter.
Burns, D-Cambria, recently met with the owners of Martella’s Pharmacy, which is engaged in a contract dispute with St. Louis-based Express Scripts Inc. The pharmacy benefit manager decided last year to terminate Martella’s from its network, a move that would require many local residents to fill prescriptions elsewhere to maintain insurance coverage.
Burns said he plans to introduce his legislation in the coming weeks.
“These PBMs are greedy corporations that won’t be satisfied until they’ve secured a complete monopoly and driven every independent pharmacy out of business,” Burns said. “As elected officials, we cannot sit back and allow this to happen.”
Burns noted that Martella’s employs hundreds of people in the region, is a valued local business, and remains in good standing with the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy.
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“These PBMs are greedy corporations that won’t be satisfied until they have a complete monopoly and knock every independent pharmacy out of business. As elected officials, we cannot sit back and let this happen.” – Rep. Burns
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In his letter to the governor, Burns wrote that Express Scripts is terminating the contract “based on two isolated incidents that occurred at only two locations -- incidents that were already addressed, remediated and resolved years ago. Notably, Express Scripts previously reviewed these matters and determined they did not warrant termination at the time.”
Burns added that the consequences could be devastating, including a reported 60% loss of revenue for Martella’s, disruption of patient care, confusion for seniors and Medicaid recipients, and the effective elimination of a trusted local health care provider from the community.
Burns asked the governor’s office to review the matter and refer it to Attorney General David Sunday for further investigation into potential antitrust violations and conflicts of interest involving Express Scripts.
Read Burns’ entire letter to the governor here.