Wal-Mart expands low-price drug program

[Psephos]

Source: AP

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, announced Monday it would expand its discounted prescription drug program to offer 90-day supplies for $10 and add several women's medications at a discount. It also said it would lower the price of more than 1,000 over-the-counter drugs. The move marks the third phase of a company program that began in 2006 to provide a 30-day supply of generic prescription drugs for $4. The Bentonville-based company said the program has saved customers more than $1 billion.

With the expansion, the company began filling prescriptions Monday for up to 350 generic medications at $10 for a 90-day supply at Wal-Mart, Neighborhood Market and Sam's Club pharmacies in the U.S. Almost all the prescription generics in the company's $4 program were included in the expanded $10 offer, said Wal-Mart senior vice president John Agwunobi.

In addition, the company will add several women's medications to its list of prescriptions available for $9, including drugs to treat breast cancer and hormone deficiency.

<snip>

Tamoxifen, used to treat breast cancer, will be offered for $9 for a 30-day supply, as well as combination estrogen/methyltestosterone tablets, prescribed for menopause and hormone deficiency.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080505/ap_on_bi_ge/wal_mart_prescription_program

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Tamoxifen for 9 bucks? wow

[Deja Q]

1. Of all the industries to push down, this is the one.

Not easy nor nice to say, but the drug companies have had something of an advantage with US customers compared to customers in other countries (like Canada) for some time.

I know people who will benefit greatly from this as well.

I don't see how their actions can be bad, this time. :shrug:

[southpaw]

3. Yeah...

Wal-Mart still sucks in a lot of ways, but I've yet to find fault with this program.

[4_TN_TITANS]

24. It's a marketing move....

Even at the lower prices, Walmart and Big Pharma are still profiting off the generics. It's a brilliant move to attract flocks of people who, with the price of gas, will be buying more than just cheap drugs on a trip to Waldemort.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

26. Agreed. I've never been to a WalMart, but I'd imagine that, like every Kmart and

Target I've been to, every Walmart has its pharmacy located in a back corner of the store.

Every month or three months, every pharmacy customer has to traipse through long aisles stuffed with other goods displayed to catch the eye. Location of the pharmacy in a back corner must be even more cost-effective than advertising in getting people to show up and spend. And the low-cost programs never entail prescriptions by mail.

[sir pball]

30. Actually no

Off the top of my head thinking of two Supercenters and one regular store, all three of them have the pharmacy in HBA which is always at the front of the store. The regular store, you have to walk past the registers, but that's it.

ed, make that three Supercenters - all of them, you go in the general merchandise door, turn away from the registers as soon as you can, and the pharmacy is right there.

[napi21]

2. As much as I hate WM, I have to thank them for this program.

Our annual income is $24,000 and I haven't been able to work for 9 years, and hubby is retiring in Oct. this year. /we're doing OK, but it's really hard even paying the co-pays. It's GREAT to be able to get some of hubby's prescriptions filled for $4.00.

The other advantage of WM doing this is that it's prompted some other companies to do the same!

[MindMatter]

12. Me too.

They are at least trying to be responsible in part of what they do, including the environment. On a scale of 1 to 10 in corporate citizenship, they are now a 0.5, which is a huge improvement over the WalMart of 4 years ago, and better than a lot of companies. But they still have a long way to go.

On the other hand, I'd put Target at a 6 out of 10, and they also have a similar low cost drug program. I strongly recommend people take their business to Target if possible.

[napi21]

18. I checkrd Target because they are real close to me, but they dont' have

any of the drugs we use and WM does. I would gladly go to a competitor if I could find one, but so far I haven't found one.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

20. Does Target offer 90-day supplies for a fixed low price like WalMart and Kmart?

See also post #17 below.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

21. To answer my own question, after Googling, NO. Target apparently offers 30-day

refills ONLY, for the same price as Walmart, $4. See links to the complete $4 Target formulary at http://sites.target.com/site/en/health/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-004319 .

[MindMatter]

27. OK, but surely your principles are worth $2.67 a month

because that would be the difference in doing Wal*Mart versus Target.

If they don't carry the drug, then I understand that. But I don't understand anybody choosing WalMart on the basis of $4 for 90 day versus $4 for 30 day at Target.

Surely we all understand the idea of a loss leader. They lose money on that $4 because they want you in the habit of entering their store. In my judgment, that is a habit worth breaking.

[Warpy]

4. This is not only sticking it to Big Pill, it's

been wonderful deodorant for Walmart with the increase in the uninsured population, of which I am one.

Anyone who is uninsured needs to print out copies of the plans from Wally's, Target and Costco and present it to the doc so s/he can determine if an older and cheaper drug on one of the lists would work as well as the Drug of the Month.

I am grateful to Wally's for leading the way in this area. They might not be the best company in the world for the way they treat their employees and their merchandise might not be the best quality, but I'm giving credit where it is due, and it's due to whomever is in charge of their pharmacies.

[madmom]

5. I wish we could get past the "the way they treat their employees" thing, I

work for Wal-mart and I have no problem with the way I am treated. Maybe they were not all that good in days past but I think they are making a very good effort now, at least in the one I work for.

[Warpy]

8. I'm delighted to hear that

and maybe I'll stop in during the month between scrip refills.

[sir pball]

29. I second that

True story - a few days ago I was going out on lunch, I had punched out...a woman asked me what the price was on a bike, told her I didn't know but I'd find somebody who did, literally around the corner was the toy associate, I sent him back to help. The frontend manager saw this, told me to see her after I punched back in...she adjusted me fifteen minutes up per corporate policy - if you so much as do that much work off the clock you HAVE to be comped for it.

I can't speak for other stores but I've never heard of anybody at mine feeling abused. Shit, I make 9.10 an hour in the deli, in Maine...that's actually a living wage around here!

[madmom]

31. Well Hello there fellow Wal-mart deli worker! Yes we've had that happen several

times at our store, our managers are adamant about not doing ANYTHING having to do with the store off the clock. They won't even talk with us about our jobs or anything pertaining to them unless we're on the clock.

[Lars39]

6. Sounds good on the face of it,

but I think they've just found another market to corner...this might be the end of a lot of mom&pop pharmacies. Not sure I like Walmart having that much clout.

[Dreamer Tatum]

15. No good deed goes unpunished nt

[pattmarty]

7. I hafta say, I ain't no big fan of Wal-Mart, but the Rx thing is a great Pr thing.

[Dreamer Tatum]

16. Could also be a good thing for people who need prescriptions

Just saying...people might actually benefit from affordable medicine.

[pattmarty]

25. Yes, that went without saying. I actually have been getting a $4.00 Rx....

....(generic)from them for 2 yrs. My wife and I do most of our shopping there also, as do most people earning under 100k. I don't like a lot of their practices (like a lot of progressives) but because of their size they can keep prices below competitors. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

[tuvor]

9. Only two votes for Greatest?

If it were news that cast Wal-Mart in a poor light, it'd have been on the Greatest page by now.

[emilyg]

10. 3

[Duke Newcombe]

11. B-but...they can't do that!!

They're supposed to be an EvilCorporation(tm)

You can't count on anyone anymore... :sarcasm:

Duke
\

[Trajan]

19. Wal Mart is NOT good for communities ....

BUT: I would recommend anyone paying for prescriptions go there and buy them at discounted rates ...

First: They will not last forever ...

Second: Wal Mart is still detrimental to the economic vitality of communities by using it's brawn to push smaller competitors out of the marketplace ..... They are too big, and cause too much damage ...

It isn't worth the 50 cents savings on a box of Cheerios ...

[phusion]

13. Big corporations...

while often doing things wrong also have the ability to change for the better. Good for them...

[OhioChick]

14. One good thing for Walmart

Hopefully, they're not looking into cornering the pharma market.

[Skittles]

22. of course that's what they are doing

Walmart can fuck themselves

[Psephos]

23. Meanwhile, what are you personally doing to help uninsured people buy meds?

I'm not a Wal-Mart booster (you could look it up) but not not providing positive feedback to decent corporate behavior does nothing to stimulate additional corporate behavior. If you stay current on Wal-Mart news you know that they are sensitive to their image and have been trying to find ways to improve it.

Wal-Mart is not going to corner the pharmaceutical market for the obvious reason they can't. The retail drug market is stuffed to the gills with deep-pocket competitors.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

17. K&R. A PDF listing all the medications included in the plan is at URL

http://i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/four_dollar_drug_list.pdf .

It's 5 pages long and dated May 5 2008.

The fine print and the meaning of an asterisk next to some medications on the list:

"List  may  change  and  vary  by  state.  Prescriptions  must  initially  be  filled  in  person.  Refills  must  be  picked  up  in  store.  No  substitutions  or  mail  orders.  
Prices  may  be  higher  in  some  states. Certain  plans  may  entitle  you  to  pay  less.  See  Walmart.com  or  pharmacist  for  details. 
 
* These  drugs  may  be  priced  higher  in  CA, CO, HI, MN, MT, PA, TN, WI, WY. "

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With this new program, WalMart leapfrogs Kmart, which started offering 90-day supplies of meds for $15 many months ago. See http://www.kmart.com/ue/home/BROCHURE_90Day.pdf .

[old mark]

28. People piss and moan about WalMart...

...but they have saved my several hundred dollars every month since I started using their $4 prescriptions. My diabetes med was over $208/month, and is now $4! My other 2 meds are now $4, down from over $50, and under $25, down from near $70.
There are lines, and prescriptions usually take a day to fill, but I will wait-I can calculate how much money per hour I am saving by standing in line.
I have not found most people to be overly smart anyway.
mark