California officials press for more pharmacy data, expand CalRx authority to curb drug costs

California health policy officials told the Health Care Affordability Advisory Committee on June 16 that prescription drugs are a major and growing driver of health spending and that the state needs better data and tools to curb rising costs. The Office of Health Care Affordability (OCA) and the Health Care Affordability Initiative (HCAI) outlined a series of steps: add pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) data to the Health Care Payments Data program if the budget provision is enacted; expand the state's CalRx initiative to allow partnerships with brand-name manufacturers; and begin collecting richer non-claims pharmacy payment data starting in September 2025. Why it matters: Committee members and staff said high and rapidly rising drug prices—especially new classes of medicines such as GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and very costly cell-and-gene therapies—are straining hospitals, employers and patients. Without better transparency into PBM contracts, rebates and spread pricing,…