Wal-Mart offers cheap prescriptions
Supercenter offers certain drugs for $4 in 93 stores in 12 states
By Lauren Searson, staff writer
Posted on November 9, 2006

HARRISONBURG — Wal-Mart recently announced the expansion of its prescription drug program, which offers more than 300 generic prescription drugs for the price of $4, to 12 new states, including 93 stores in Virginia.

In an Oct. 26 press release, Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee Scott said, “We are proud to be leading this effort to make sure our nation’s seniors, working families, and uninsured get the medications they need at a price they can afford.”

The program has been in effect in 1,499 pharmacies in 15 states for the past month. According to the press release, customer demand caused the program to launch before its original proposed date of January 2007.

Wal-Mart representatives said the list of prescriptions the program applies to represents nearly a quarter of prescriptions dispensed in its pharmacies across the United States This includes 14 of the top-20 prescribed medications in the nation.

Charlie Sewell, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Community Pharmacists Association, said of the 11,000 drugs approved by the FDA, only 143 are on the list, since the total number includes different strengths of the same medications.  This means only about 2 percent of all medications are made available through this program.

“When you hear Wal-Mart’s comments in the press, it makes it seem like they’re providing these drugs for just about everyone,” Sewell said. “Any way you look at it, they’re trying to attract business to their stores and misleading the public.”

Sewell added that some drugs on the list are older, not as effective, and could cause more side effects compared to more recent medications.  For example, one of the drugs available to reduce cholesterol, lovastatin, takes eight pills to match a 20-milligram dose of Lipitor.

Despite these statistics, Bill Simon, vice president of Wal-Mart’s Professional Services Division, said in the press release that within four days of the program’s launch, more than 152,000 new prescriptions were filled in pharmacies in the 15 states.

Sewell said the program is not offering patients many advantages.  The average co-pay for generic drugs is $5, which only leaves a dollar difference, if the drug is even found on the list.

“You could be paying more for gas to go to Wal-Mart than what you would be saving,” Sewell said.

He said people, as well the press, have looked at the $4 and thought it was a great bargain without looking at the details.

Pharmacies represent less than 10 percent of Wal-Mart’s business profits, whereas providing health care services makes up 92 percent of the business for independent pharmacies.

The program started in the Harrisonburg Wal-Mart Supercenter, located on Burgess Road, about a week ago. Chau Cao, who has been a Wal-Mart pharmacist for six months, said he has noticed a slight increase in the amount of customers buying these prescriptions.

“There are millions of Americans without insurance and Harrisonburg includes a portion of those people,” Cao said. “People were paying $70 on prescriptions, and now they are only paying $4.”

As stated in the press release, Wal-Mart estimates its low prices on over-the-counter medications will save customers approximately $20 million on cough, cold and fever medications this cold and flu season.

Sewell, however, said Wal-Mart’s prices aren’t always necessarily lower. The company tends to have the most expensive prices for prescriptions not featured on the list, such as Flo-nase.

Regardless, Sewell said people need to be careful with their medications. He recommends finding a pharmacist who can work with patients at all times and run checks ensuring they get the full benefits from the appropriate medications.