Employers, pharmacists push for PBM transparency.(Pharmacy Benefit Managers)

Pharmacy benefit managers' business practices are again under fire, this time from employers and pharmacists.

Fifty large companies have formed a coalition to look into whether it's better to deal directly with drug manufacturers on behalf of more than five million workers instead of PBMs. The coalition is the brainchild of the HR Policy Association and is being managed by consulting firm Hewitt Associates.

Meanwhile, independent pharmacists are trying to convince businesses - especially small and mid-size firms - that PBMs don't save them as much money as t