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Medicare Drug Program News
Wal-Mart Marches on to 11 New States with $4 Generic
Drug Program
Community pharmacists say program a publicity
stunt, minimal value
 November 16, 2006 – Wal-Mart marches on with its $4
generic prescription drug program, adding 11 more states (502 stores)
and an additional 17 more generic drugs to the program. The new states
offering a 30-day supply of generic drugs for $4 are Idaho, Kentucky,
Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Utah, Washington and West Virginia.
The program kicked off in Florida in September,
with plans to spread outside the state in January 2007, but, due to
popular demand Wal-Mart accelerated the rollout, which is now available
in 3,009 pharmacies in 38 states.
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November 13, 2006 – In just five years – 1999
through 2003 – consumer spending on outpatient prescription drugs
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In making the announcement, Bill Simon, executive
vice president of Wal-Mart's Professional Services Division, said that
the $4 generics program now includes 331 generic prescriptions available
for up to a 30-day supply at commonly prescribed dosages.
According to
www.rxlist.com , the list also includes 14 of the top 20 prescribed
medications in the United States. The list is made up of as many as 143
compounds in 26 therapeutic categories.
Generic medicines generally cost between 30 percent
and 60 percent less than equivalent brand-name products, and Wal-Mart
estimates that its list of $4 generic prescriptions represents more than
25 percent of prescriptions currently dispensed in its pharmacies
nationwide.
To date, as new states have been added to the
program, 2.1 million more new prescriptions have been filled in those
states as compared to the same time periods last year.
"We've received an amazing amount of positive
feedback from the millions of seniors, working families and uninsured
who are already taking advantage of this program," said Wal-Mart
President and CEO Lee Scott.
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Pharmacists Say 99 Percent of Drugs Not Covered by
Wal-Mart PR Stunt
The National Community Pharmacists Association
(NCPA) today said Wal-Mart's widely publicized generic drug program will
provide minimal benefit to most patients because of the very limited
number of medications included on the list of drugs that are covered.
The company announced today that it will begin offering a very limited
number of generic medications for $4 in 11 additional states. Wal-Mart
launched the campaign in Florida in September.
"If you look at the list of medications they are
offering for $4, it represents about 1 percent of the total number of
drugs available," said NCPA Executive Vice President and CEO Bruce
Roberts, RPh. "The question people should be asking Wal-Mart is, 'What
will you be charging for the other 99 percent of the medications that
people need?'"
There are more than 11,000 drugs listed by the Food
and Drug Administration, and while the Wal-Mart program claims to offer
more than 300 medicines, its list actually includes only about 150
different drugs.
● For example, 12 different versions of the
antibiotic amoxicillin are included on the list.
● Many older medications are on the list, and
newer, replacement medications that often work better or have fewer side
effects are not included.
"Wal-Mart's original list included none of the
generic statins used to treat high cholesterol," Roberts said. "After
much criticism, the company added the oldest and weakest one and with
one of the worst profiles for side effects. Patients deserve good care.
Instead they are being used by Wal-Mart just to drive traffic to their
stores."
The impact of Wal-Mart's program also raises
concerns about patient safety and the professional counseling role of
pharmacists.
"We have tremendous respect for the power of
prescription medications and the lifesaving -- or if used incorrectly,
life- threatening -- power they possess," Roberts said. "NCPA hopes that
Wal-Mart pharmacists will be given the time to adequately counsel all of
their patients about all of their prescription medicines."
NCPA also is examining any anti-competitive aspects
of Wal- Mart's action. Wal-Mart is known for driving small-town
businesses out of business through deceptive and predatory pricing
practices and then raising prices on prescription drugs and other
health-related products.
"Prescription medicines are not a commodity like
T-shirts and DVDs," Roberts said. "Community pharmacists are in the
health care business and provide a value to patients no matter what
medications they are taking. We are concerned that patients will be both
misled and disappointed by the limited number of medicines in this new
program."
The National Community Pharmacists Association,
founded in 1898, represents the nation's community pharmacists,
including the owners of more than 24,000 pharmacies. The nation's
independent pharmacies, independent pharmacy franchises, and independent
chains dispense nearly half of the nation's retail prescription
medicines.
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"We've added more medicines to our program so we
can extend these significant savings to even more Americans. No one
should be denied access to the medications they need, and this program
is a big step in moving our customers and communities toward access to
affordable medicines."
Savings on top-selling prescription medications in
the program are projected by the company to be significant. For specific
medications, the company estimates the following approximate savings to
Wal-Mart, Neighborhood Market and Sam's Club customers and members in
the 38 states in the program, based on September average retail prices
from www.myfloridarx.com:
● Metformin (500 mg), a diabetes medication:
about $1.3 million monthly and $16 million annually on this medication.
● Warfarin (5 mg), a medication to prevent blood
clots: about $750,000 monthly and $9 million annually on this
medication.
Simon said that Wal-Mart will continue to push for
expansion to other states as quickly as possible. "We're moving this
forward as quickly as possible, but we need to do it in a way that
doesn't hamper our ability to serve our customers," he said.
Generics contain the same high quality active
ingredients as their brand-name counterparts and are equally effective,
but cost significantly less. Consumers interested in saving money on
prescriptions through the program should ask their doctor if a generic
is available for their prescription and is right for them.
At this time, the $4 prescriptions are not
available by mail order, but are available online or by telephone for
refills only for in-person pickup in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi,
Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New
York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and
West Virginia.
For further information on the program, including
store locations, customers can call 1-800-WAL-MART, go to
www.walmart.com , or visit their Wal-Mart, Neighborhood Market or Sam's
Club in the 38 participating states to discuss the program with their
pharmacist or pick up a brochure explaining program details.
Medicare Part D Enrollment
The company also designates one pharmacy associate
per store to be a "Medicare Part D expert," who, in conjunction with its
in-store informational kiosks, helps customers understand both the
enrollment process and the benefits to which they are entitled.
These systems have enabled the retailer to help
enroll 1,080,000 people for the Medicare Part D prescription drug
benefit, as of October 26, 2006.
Wal-Mart says its pharmacies' sophisticated
coordination of benefits services enables it to process up to four
payors for Medicare beneficiaries and up to three payors for
non-Medicare beneficiaries, leading to less reimbursement hassle and
paperwork for customers.
Wal-Mart also says it has revolutionized the
packaging of pharmaceuticals by offering safer, user-friendly blister
packs that contain individual periodic doses of medications, along with
details and easy-to-understand instructions for consumers.
In addition, Wal-Mart offers low pricing on
over-the-counter cough, cold and fever medications. The company
estimates its customers will save approximately $20 million on cough,
cold and fever medications this cold and flu season.
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