Ladson resident Ken Firth says he'll save about $100 per month on prescription drugs after Wal-Mart announced Thursday it will extend its $4 offer on some generic prescription drugs to 11 more states, including South Carolina.

Firth, 68, was concerned earlier this month that Wal-Mart was offering savings in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida but leaving out South Carolina, "one of the neediest states in the union." He and his wife each need several prescriptions per month, so the couple is looking forward to the savings, he said.

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.

Other states added Thursday were Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington and West Virginia.

In all, Wal-Mart is offering the program in 3,009 stores in 38 states.

The company began the program in September, offering the low-cost drugs in Florida and had plans to expand the offering in January. But the company said it moved up its timetable.

Wal-Mart launched the program in what it called an effort to save working Americans money on health care. But critics said it was a stunt to draw in business and a grab for a bigger share of the drug business.

Representatives from both Kerr and CVS Thursday said they had no plans to drop prices in South Carolina in response to Wal-Mart's move. Both companies said the drugs Wal-Mart is offering at reduced rates are older generic drugs and a very small percentage of the prescriptions they typically fill. And most customers with private insurance or Medicaid pay just a small co-payment for the drugs, they said.

Target officials announced last month that they would match Wal-Mart's generic prescription drugs prices at all Florida pharmacies. Company representatives could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon to answer questions about their plans for South Carolina pharmacies.

State customers might stand to benefit from the program, but at least one local pharmacy said Wal-Mart's reduced-price list won't hurt its business.

Dana Johnson, whose family has owned the independent Daniel Island Pharmacy for the past two years, said Wal-Mart's lower prices probably won't dramatically affect her business. Customers will likely find only one or two of the medications they need on Wal-Mart's reduced-price list, she said.

And, she hopes that the "customer service and convenience will keep people coming back" to her store.

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.

On the Web

Wal-Mart is offering a discount drug program for generic prescriptions at its South Carolina stores. For a list of generic drugs offered under the plan, see http://i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/genericdruglist.pdf.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.