In his latest attempt to probe the pharmaceutical industry, US Senator Chuck Grassley has written two big pharmacy benefit managers, as well as a trade group, asking them to provide information about their financial relationships with drugmakers. This week, he sent letters to Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (click on name to see letters).

In explaining his action, Grassley - who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee - wrote that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recommended in a report last year that Congress should require drugmakers to report their financial relationships with pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies, health plans, and others, but not rebates or discounts (look here). And so he asks for details about steps taken that would enhance transparency of “financial benefits” that may be provided by drugmakers.

He added that MedPAC’s proposal also covers payments or transfers of value, such as gifts, travel, honoraria, consulting fees, and investment or ownership interests, and both exclude the reporting of rebates and discounts. And Grassley likened the requirement to the stipulations found in the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which he and Senator Herb Kohl, a Wisconsin Democrat, introduced and that requires drug and device makers anything of value given to doctors and post the info on web sites.