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WalMart pilot program: ~300 generic drugs as low as $4 USD

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  • WalMart pilot program: ~300 generic drugs as low as $4 USD

    Wal-Mart announced Thursday a pilot program in Florida to sell about 300 generic prescription drugs for as low as $4 for a 30-day supply.


    Generic drugs getting cheaper at Wal-Mart

    Discounter testing a program in Florida to sell nearly 300 drugs for as low as $4 per standard prescription.

    September 21 2006: 9:32 AM EDT

    NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Wal-Mart announced Thursday that it is testing a program in Florida to sell about 300 generic prescription drugs for as low as $4 for a 30-day supply.

    The world's largest retailer said the program, to be launched on Friday, will be available to customers and employees of 65 Wal-Mart stores, Wal-Mart neighborhood market stores and Sam's Club pharmacies in the Tampa Bay, Fla., area, and will be expanded to the entire state in January 2007.

    The $4 pricing will be available to all pharmacy customers with a doctor's prescription that can be filled with a covered generic medicine, the retailer said.

    This program will be available to the uninsured, although insurance will be accepted. It will cover 291 generic medications from many of the most common therapeutic categories, the company said.

    The medicines covered by the new plan include those used to treat and manage conditions including allergies, cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Some antibiotics, antidepressants, antipsychotics and prescription vitamins are also included.

    Wal-Mart (Charts), which has been the target of critics who complain that its health insurance is out of reach for many of its 1.3 million U.S. employees, has in the past year introduced several programs to improve its benefits for workers.

    In April, the company extended insurance coverage to the children of part-time workers and started a benefit plan with monthly premiums as low as $11.

    Wal-Mart said the program will help alleviate a major challenge for seniors who have fallen into the "doughnut hole" coverage gap in their Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and now find themselves responsible for paying 100 percent of their prescription medicine costs

    Bill Simon, executive vice president of the Professional Services Division for Wal-Mart, said in a company statement that purchasing a 30-day supply of the diabetes drug, Metformin, for $4 represents a nearly 50 percent savings from the cost of the brand name version of the drug.

    In addition, he estimated that purchasing a 30-day supply of a brand name blood-pressure drug typically costs $12. Getting the generic, Lisinopril, for $4 saves customers nearly $100 annually.
    'bout time some competition came into the pharmacies.
    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 21 September 2006, 06:57.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
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