Overview

• Both companies filed separate complaints on May 29, 2025 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas challenging the constitutionality of Act 624.
• Act 624, signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in April, prohibits any pharmacy benefit manager from holding a pharmacy license in Arkansas starting January 1, 2026.
• The lawsuits argue the law violates the Dormant Commerce Clause, Equal Protection and federal health benefit statutes by singling out out-of-state PBMs.
• CVS warns the ban could force closure of its 23 Arkansas retail pharmacies and cost hundreds of jobs, while Express Scripts says it threatens care for nearly 400,000 Arkansans.
• Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin insists the statute is needed to rein in PBMs’ market power and defend independent pharmacies.