An Aspinwall pharmacy owner who has advocated for reform in his industry to protect community pharmacies against national monopolies will attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address as a guest of U.S. Rep. Chris DeLuzio.
Jonathan Akanowicz owns Towne Drugs on Commercial Avenue in Aspinwall and has worked to change the Pharmacy Benefit Managers system, said Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, in making the announcement.
“Monopolies have been rigging the system, crushing competition and small businesses, and ripping off the American people for a long time,” Deluzio said in a statement. “Jon is my guest at this year’s State of the Union to highlight this ongoing fight to break the power of [Pharmacy Benefit Managers] with a simple goal: bring down prescription costs and give independent pharmacies a fair shot to compete.”
Pharmacy Benefit Managers, as middlemen in the drug pricing chain, play a large role in what patients pay for medications as they administer prescription benefits. Critics say they drive up prices.
In Pennsylvania, legislation passed in 2024 to help level the playing field. Nationally, earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill meant to increase transparency in drug pricing and spur competition in the health care market, according to U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, a Texas Republican who serves as House Budget Committee chair and lobbied for the bill.
In announcing Akanowicz as his guest for the State of the Union, Deluzio said the Hampton High School graduate has been on the frontlines of reform.
Contacted by TribLive earlier Monday, Akanowicz said he agreed not to give interviews until after the address.
However, in the statement released by Deluzio, Akanowicz said he hopes his presence at the speech Tuesday will bring awareness to the Pharmacy Benefits Manager issue.
Reform will “bring down prescription costs, save community pharmacies and help preserve patient access,” he said in the statement. “[Pharmacy Benefits Manager] have been taking advantage of community pharmacies for decades. This is a huge win for pharmacy owners and patients.”
Akanowicz, 45, is married and has four children. He co-owns the pharmacy with his father, Robert.
Akanowicz previously joined Deluzio in Washington, D.C., when nine members of Congress announced the creation of the Monopoly Busters Caucus last year to fight corporate power and promote an agenda supporting workers, consumers and small businesses.
