Dispense Times Magazine

02/11/2026

The pricing structures and reimbursement practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers often lack transparency and accountability.

02/11/2026

Independent pharmacy doesn’t fight one big battle.

It fights 100 small ones every single day.

• Prior authorizations that stall care
• Reimbursement below acquisition cost
• Claims reversals and surprise audits
• Inventory spikes with shrinking margins
• Patients caught in insurance confusion

No movie soundtrack.
No headlines.
No backup.

Just daily pressure.

Saving Private Pharmacy?

It’s not a war film.

It’s Tuesday at 9:17 AM.

02/10/2026

In the last 21 days, Dispense Times has generated 22,000+ views with an average read time of over 8 minutes per reader.

That level of engagement tells us one thing, people aren’t skimming. They’re actually reading.

This issue features our Mark Cuban cover story and dives into drug pricing, transparency, and what the future means for independent pharmacy.

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company
Erin L Albert

👉 Read the full issue here: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/a18c487a24.

02/10/2026

Novo Nordisk slapped with FDA letter for Wegovy oral pill launch ad

The FDA’s latest letter takes aim at a Wegovy pill TV ad, arguing the ad was false or misleading, and that it positioned the pill as a “solution to broader life challenges.”

02/09/2026

New Editorial Advisory Board Member Announcement

We’re excited to welcome Kelsey Horton, PharmD to the Dispense Times Magazine Editorial Advisory Board as our Sports Pharmacy & Performance contributor.

Kelsey is a clinical sports pharmacist and educator specializing in medication management, performance pharmacology, bioenergetics, and circadian health. She holds an Executive Certificate in Sports Pharmacy from USC and is currently completing her Diploma in Sports Pharmacy with the International Olympic Committee.

She has consulted with athletes competing at the highest professional and international levels and is a strong advocate for clean sport and anti-doping education. Kelsey is an active leader within the Sports Pharmacy Network and US Sports Pharmacy Group, and regularly contributes as a peer reviewer and content expert in sports pharmacy publications.

A former Division I athlete and experienced yoga instructor, Kelsey brings a rare combination of clinical expertise and real-world athletic insight—exactly the perspective we want helping guide our editorial direction.

Welcome to the team, Kelsey 👏
We’re excited for what’s ahead.

02/09/2026

If every independent pharmacy closed tomorrow:

• ~19,000 pharmacies disappear overnight
Independent pharmacies make up ~35% of all U.S. retail pharmacies.

• 1.1+ BILLION prescriptions lose their primary access point
Those prescriptions don’t vanish, access does.

• ~15 million Americans lose optimal pharmacy access
These are patients who rely on independents because chains are farther, overloaded, or nonexistent.

• Rural America gets wrecked
In many rural ZIP codes, the independent pharmacy is the only pharmacy within miles.

• ER visits spike immediately
Missed doses of insulin, anticoagulants, transplant meds, and psych meds = preventable hospitalizations.

• Hospital readmissions increase
Independent pharmacies are proven to reduce readmissions through medication management and adherence support.

• PBMs gain near-total control
With independents gone, vertically integrated PBMs control pricing, access, formularies, and steering with no resistance.

• Drug costs go UP, not down
Less competition + more consolidation = higher prices (this is basic economics).

• Public health weakens
Independent pharmacies deliver a disproportionate share of:
– Vaccinations
– Medication therapy management
– Chronic disease support

• National resilience declines
Independent pharmacies are the most geographically distributed healthcare infrastructure in the U.S.
Remove them and the system becomes fragile, centralized, and vulnerable.

02/06/2026

Independent Pharmacy Is a Strategic Asset to National Security

Biological threats are no longer theoretical. They are recognized across defense and public-health circles as a top-tier national security risk, with repeated assessments acknowledging that the U.S. remains insufficiently prepared for early detection and rapid response.

Healthcare preparedness is not just a federal or military problem, it is a distribution problem.

Why Independent Pharmacy Matters

Independent pharmacies represent the largest, most geographically distributed healthcare access network in the United States. They exist where hospitals don’t, where clinics are scarce, and where early intervention matters most.

During COVID-19, independent pharmacies demonstrated this reality firsthand, performing at a high level despite being excluded from the initial federal response strategy. When the system strained, independents stepped in.

That lesson should not be ignored.

Emerging Technology & Decentralized Detection

There are emerging diagnostic technologies under active federal review that point toward a decentralized detection model, including advanced imaging systems capable of retrofitting existing infrastructure and enabling highly precise thoracic and cellular-level assessment.

The strategic implication is clear:
Early detection cannot rely solely on centralized institutions.

Self-operated, patient-accessible diagnostics, where results are delivered directly to patients and their chosen caregivers, represent a shift toward distributed resilience, not bureaucratic bottlenecks.

These tools have applications ranging from routine health monitoring to early identification of biological threats.

National Context Is Catching Up

Recent public disclosures regarding unauthorized bioresearch activity inside U.S. borders underscore an uncomfortable reality: biothreat risks are not abstract, and response time matters.

At the same time, Rural Health Transformation funding has already been appropriated, signaling recognition at the federal level that the current healthcare distribution system is fragile, particularly outside major metros.

The Logical Next Step

Independent pharmacy, group purchasing organizations (GPOs), and rural health transformation initiatives are logical, necessary participants in strengthening a healthcare distribution system that now intersects directly with national security.

This is not about politics.
It’s about preparedness.

A resilient nation requires:
• Decentralized access
• Trusted community-level providers
• Rapid detection and response capability
• Infrastructure that already exists and can be enhanced, not rebuilt from scratch

Independent pharmacy is not a peripheral player in this discussion.
It is foundational.

02/06/2026

🚨 Editorial Advisory Board Announcement 🚨

We’re proud to welcome Dr. Nandita Trivett, PharmD to the Dispense Times Editorial Advisory Board as Editorial Advisor – Independent Pharmacy Strategy & Innovation.

Dr. Trivett brings deep, hands-on experience across independent pharmacy, payer systems, managed care, hospital settings, and cash-based care models. Her work is grounded in ex*****on, not theory, helping pharmacies and vendors cut through noise, focus on what matters, and build sustainable growth that actually works in the real world.

Her perspective strengthens our mission at Dispense Times:
to deliver content that reflects the realities, challenges, and opportunities facing independent pharmacy leaders today.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Trivett to the team. 👏

02/06/2026

If you haven’t had a chance to read the latest issue of Dispense Times magazine, I’d recommend checking it out. It’s been our most engaged issue to date and reflects the direction we’re heading.

You can view it here:

Created with the Heyzine flipbook maker

02/05/2026

PBMs say they save patients money.

Then why are independent pharmacies disappearing?
Why are patients paying more?
Why are communities losing access to care?

This isn’t efficiency.
It’s destruction.

02/05/2026

WELCOME TO “MR. PBM” 🎬
The only game show where everyone loses… except the PBM.

Round 1:
Patient picks the “wrong” insulin.
👉 Prior auth
👉 Step therapy
👉 Come back next month

PBM gets paid anyway.

Round 2:
Independent pharmacy finally gets “cost-plus.”
Except “cost” is defined by the PBM.
Dispensing fee capped.
New admin fee appears out of thin air.

Pharmacy loses money.
PBM advances.

Round 3:
Patient chooses local pharmacy or PBM-owned mail order.
Delay? Pharmacy gets blamed.
Switch? PBM captures the volume.

Either way PBM wins.

Final round:
🎁 “Transparency”
🎁 “Reshored GPO”
🎁 “No more rebate incentives”

Sounds great… until the fine print shows the money just moved to a different pocket.

Everyone cheers the headline.
Nothing changes on the ground.

This FTC settlement is progress, but don’t confuse progress with a solved problem.
PBMs don’t stop winning.
They just rename the rules.

If this system was actually fair, it wouldn’t need a game show to explain it.

💬 Who do you think is really winning right now, patients, pharmacies, or PBMs?