06/18/2025
🧠💊 A Thoughtful Reflection on Recent Events at Pace Pharmacy 💊🧠
Disclaimer: For those who may be confused, “Pace Pharmacy” involved in the recent events is in no way affiliated with Jackson-Pace Pharmacy in Pensacola. The “Pace” in our name comes from Joseph B. Pace, the pharmacist from whom my father purchased the store on April 1, 1990. We’ve carried the name forward in honor of that history—but we are a completely separate entity.
With that clarified, I want to offer a few thoughts on the troubling situation that has unfolded regarding Pace Pharmacy. Like many of you, I’ve felt deeply unsettled by what’s come to light. As pharmacists, we take an oath to protect our patients' health and uphold the integrity of our profession. What happened here was a serious deviation from that oath, and it’s not something that should be brushed aside or minimized.
That said, I also believe it’s important to look beyond the headlines and ask why something like this might happen.
The reality is that Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have turned the pharmacy landscape into a brutal and often demoralizing battleground. They strip away reimbursement, force impossible margins, and manipulate pharmacy contracts to the point where many independents are fighting just to stay afloat. None of this justifies unethical decisions—but it does create a high-pressure environment where desperation can take root.
Could the relentless financial suffocation imposed by PBMs have stoked the fire that led to Pace Pharmacy’s poor choices? I think it’s worth considering.
Again, this is not a defense of what was done—but an observation of how broken the system has become. If we want to prevent things like this from happening again, we can’t just call out individual wrongdoing—we have to dismantle the conditions that help give rise to it.
Let’s hold people accountable, yes—but let’s also push hard for real change in how pharmacy is structured and valued in this country.
💬 As always, I welcome respectful discussion and ideas.
