Pharmacy — NACDS

NACDS honors U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter with Congressional Leadership Award

Congressman honored for legislation to lower Americans' drug and healthcare costs and to preserve access to trusted pharmacies

, and CDR

March 9, 2026 . 12:42 PM

3 min read

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), pictured at center, receives the NACDS Congressional Leadership Award from NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson (left) and NACDS Chair Rick Gates, chief pharmacy officer of Walgreens (right).

ARLINGTON, VA — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) last week presented the NACDS Congressional Leadership Award to U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) for his central, persistent, and effective leadership in advancing pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform—work that helped deliver the most extensive federal actions to rein in PBM tactics that can harm Americans and the pharmacies that serve them.

NACDS presented the award on March 3 during NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill, the Association’s grassroots advocacy fly-in that brings pharmacy advocates to Washington for direct engagement with Congress and the Administration.

“Last September, the NACDS Board of Directors came to Washington with a simple—but very serious—question: ‘Who will be the closer on PBM reform?’” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson. “Who will refuse to accept ‘not now’ as an answer? Who will do everything in their power to get this done? Congressman Buddy Carter answered that question with leadership, persistence, and results.”

Anderson emphasized that Carter’s leadership helped to drive PBM reform forward in Congress at decisive moments.

“Congressman Carter didn’t just support this effort—he helped drive it,” Anderson said. “As one of two pharmacists in Congress, he gets these issues. He sounded the alarm on what patients and pharmacies were facing, led with legislation, and kept pushing for real reform. He showed up—again and again—wherever healthcare policy was being debated and shaped.”

Carter and the award presentation were enthusiastically received by the nearly 250 pharmacy advocates who engaged in the event, including representatives of NACDS member pharmacies, members of the NACDS Board of Directors, and student pharmacists from 60 colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Anderson continued, “Policy can be complicated. PBM practices can be deliberately hard to see. Over the years, we have had to explain the problem, define real reform, show the harm, and keep the pressure up. Leaders who can keep an issue moving in an environment where ‘yes’ is hard—and compromise is messy—make an enormous difference.”