SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Napoleon Harris III supported a major pharmacy reform bill that protects patient access to pharmacies and lowers prescription drug prices.

“You shouldn’t have to choose between picking up a prescription your doctor recommends and buying food for your family,” said Harris (D-Harvey). “These major reforms will help curb pharmacy middlemen from jacking up prices.”

House Bill 1697, the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, targets pharmacy benefit managers – entities that manage prescription drug benefits for insurers. The new law ends harmful practices such as “spread pricing,” where pharmacy benefit managers profit by charging insurers significantly more than what pharmacies receive. It also restricts PBMs from profiting from the sale of drugs to pharmacies, and requires them to return 100% of pharmacy rebates back to the individuals or sponsoring organizations. It will also prevent pharmacy benefit managers from unfairly steering patients toward particular pharmacies and stops PBMs from limiting an individual’s access to a drug from a pharmacy by classifying it as a “specialty drug.”

House Bill 1697 was signed into law last month and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026.