OK, using the word "bargain" next to "prescription" may be a little
too much in a world where some drugs cost hundreds of dollars per
month. Still, if you're a regular buyer of prescription drugs, you'll
want to go about your purchases in the most cost-effective manner.
You probably have a local pharmacy where you buy all your medications.
Maybe it's a Walgreens (NYSE: WAG), CVS (NYSE: CVS), Rite Aid (NYSE:
RAD), or even your local supermarket or Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT). You may
not realize it, but asking for a generic version isn't enough. Prices
can vary widely from pharmacy to pharmacy in the same area. To get
some specific examples, I tapped the services of myfloridarx.com, a
website that compares prices of drugs in Florida. Here are some stats
for Boca Raton:
For 40 mg of Nexium (quantity: 30), I found a price of around $140 at
a Wal-Mart, $155 at a CVS, $267 at Suncoast Pharmacy, and $173 at a
Walgreens (and, oddly, more than $500 and $800 at two other
Walgreens).
Between CVS and Walgreens, you could save $6 to $8 on an order of
Singulair and $13 on an order of Zocor.
Another way to offset your net expenses on medications is to make some
money on drugs -- by investing in drug-related firms such as drug
wholesalers McKesson (NYSE: MCK) and Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH),
pharmaceutical giant Merck (NYSE: MRK), and the like. Here are some
recent articles to get you started:
McKesson's New Pep Pill
Cardinal Looks to Deliver
Merck Goes on the Attack
Walgreen's Prescription for Growth
Rite Aid Regains Respectability
And finally, if you're excited by the prospect of saving more of your
hard-earned dollars, check out our brand-new personal finance
newsletter service, GreenLight. Packed with terrific ideas and
guidance, GreenLight is written by some of our smartest, wittiest
writers and analysts.
Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
# posted by Network @ 4:13 PM
