When it comes to prescription drugs, it turns out buying generic doesn't always mean the most savings. A Consumer Reports investigation found you still have to shop carefully to get the best deals.
We all know generic drugs are a lot cheaper than their brand name versions.
Take prozac. A year's supply of the generic, Fluoxetine, averages $433. Prozac averages more than four times that -- $1,863.
But Consumer Reports says despite big savings for generics, you can easily pay more than you need to.
"We did price comparisons at 132 pharmacies across the country. Those included drugstore chains, independent pharmacies, mass merchants, supermarkets, as well as online pharmacies," said Dr. Marvin Lipman.
The price check covered five common generic prescription drugs; Lisinopril for blood pressure, Lovastatin for cholesterol,
Metformin for diabetes, Warfarin the blood thinner, and Fluoxetine.
Consumer Reports found big price differences for a 30-day supply of these drugs.
"The range of prices for these 5 generic drugs varied widely at independent pharmacies, anywhere from $82 to $295."
And at drugstore chains, there were significant price differences too.
The median price for the five drugs at CVS was $116. At Walgreens, $157. And at Rite Aid, $162.
Consumer Reports found buying the generic drugs online is often one of the best deals, but not always.
Ordering from Cigna Teldrug's web site turned out to be very pricey --- $228 for the five drugs.
Costco stores had the best prices -- just $48 for the same five generic drugs.
And although Costco usually requires a membership, you don't need to be a member to shop either at its online pharmacy or at the pharmacy located in its stores.
Consumer Reports found Walmart charged more than twice as much as Costco for the five generic drugs but that could change.
Walmart recently announced it will test market a program and sell generics for as little as $4 for a month's supply.
Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
# posted by Network @ 1:49 AM
