Jefferson City News

Connie Farrow, director of Patients Come First, expressed concerns about the closure of community pharmacies in Missouri, emphasizing that it creates gaps in healthcare access for vulnerable residents. She articulated these views in an op-ed published on February 10.

"Visiting a neighborhood pharmacy to pick up your medicine is becoming increasingly rare across Missouri," said Farrow, Executive Director. "Many of our most vulnerable residents use community pharmacies."

According to Patients Come First, Kansas City has experienced the loss of 100 independent pharmacies over the past decade. Meanwhile, approximately 45,000 residents in metro St. Louis live in "pharmacy deserts," areas with no pharmacy within a mile. Jefferson City witnessed the closure of Whaley's Pharmacy after 80 years of service in July 2023. The organization calls for reform to increase transparency and ensure access to affordable medicines and care within local communities.

The Show-Me State Times reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) identified three major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—Caremark (CVS), Express Scripts (Cigna), and OptumRx (UnitedHealth)—as inflating drug costs. These companies reportedly marked up specialty generics by thousands of percent, generating over $7.3 billion in excess revenue from 2017 to 2022. The report highlights practices such as spread pricing, where PBMs charge insurers more than they reimburse pharmacies, and rebate agreements that drive up drug prices. These practices are said to increase patient costs, threaten small pharmacies, and limit medication access.

Ongoing scrutiny and legal actions suggest that clawback practices by PBMs continue to impact patient costs. For instance, Reuters reported that in January 2025, the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against CVS Caremark for allegedly underpaying pharmacies—a practice contributing to higher patient expenses.

Farrow's LinkedIn profile describes her as an award-winning journalist turned PR and advocacy consultant specializing in strategic messaging, media relations, and public policy campaigns across sectors including healthcare, education, consumer goods, and pharmaceuticals.