Company offers $4 deal in S.C.

By HEIDI CENAC
Anderson Independent-Mail
November 16, 2006

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Thursday that it is now offering $4 generic prescriptions in South Carolina and 10 other states.

Wal-Mart began offering the low-cost drugs in Florida in September. The company had plans to expand the offering in January, but decided to move up its timetable, according to a statement. Wal-Mart stores in Georgia already participate in the program.

Wal-Mart added 502 stores to those offering the discounted medications, and added 17 prescriptions to the offering, bringing the total to 331 generic prescriptions available. The $4 price is for up to a 30-day supply of the drugs.

Wal-Mart said the program is an effort to save working Americans money on health care.

Eddie Herndon, an employee at the Anderson County Arts Center Warehouse, said he wondered how long it would take Wal-Mart to expand its discount drug program. He knows some Upstate residents who spend $300 to $400 per month on their prescription drugs.

"I think it’s going to help a lot of people who have trouble with all this prescription drug stuff," Mr. Herndon said, referring to Medicare Part D, a drug plan that is part of the federal Medicare health insurance program for people 65 and older. "It’s a good thing, Wal-Mart doing this for people."

But critics, including national pharmacy associations, say it is a stunt to draw in customers and grab a bigger share of the drug business.

The National Community Pharmacists Association said many medications on the $4 list are older drugs. Newer replacement medications that often work better or have fewer side effects are not included in the program, the association said.

Stan McCallum of McCallum’s Prescription Shop in Anderson said some pharmacy organizations are claiming the generic plan is a ploy by Wal-Mart to do a bait and switch. The cheap price lures customers into the store, then offers to switch them to another prescription when theirs is not on the list, according to that theory.

About 80 percent of Mr. McCallum’s customers, most of whom he knows by name, are covered by insurance so they already receive discounted drug prices.

The fact that pharmacies are having price wars is "a sad commentary on medicine as a whole," Mr. McCallum said.

Prescriptions are not a typical commodity, such as gas, where price is the most important factor, he said.

Residents need to have a relationship with their pharmacist and should keep all of their prescriptions at one business so the pharmacist can make sure they are getting the best care, Mr. McCallum said.

Wal-Mart’s announcement also caught the attention of national pharmacy chains.

Kmart reiterated the cost-saving opportunity with its generics program, which offers a 90-day supply of selected generic prescriptions for $15.

Curtis Hartin, BI-LO/Bruno’s pharmacy director, said the supermarket chain’s 173 pharmacies already match prices on prescription medications and will honor that policy with the introduction of Wal-Mart’s program.

Despite concerns that the $4 generics won’t help that many people, some residents are excited about the prospect.

"I think it’s great," said Rita Rogers of Anderson. "Drugs are so expensive and that drug part (Medicare Part D) is not as good as it’s cracked up to be."

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, according to a Wal-Mart news release.

States added Thursday were Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington and West Virginia. In all, Wal-Mart now is offering the program in 3,009 stores in 38 states.

Other states under the program are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Heidi Cenac can be reached at (800) 859-6397 ext. 248 or by e-mail at cenache@IndependentMail.com.

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