Americans spent more than $161 billion on prescription medicines last year and about $16 billion more on over-the-counter (OTC) remedies.1 Two-thirds of office visits to physicians result in prescription drug therapy.2 Drug therapy is among the most efficient methods to treat many illnesses, but these drugs can be expensive. However, in many cases newer drugs are more effective than older, less expensive drugs.3 However, most patients can easily lower their annual drug bills by employing some or all of the strategies detailed below. To do so, they must treat drug purchases as they do other prospective purchases - by shopping and comparing prices. [For some tips on smart shopping, see Sidebar: "Checklist for Saving Money on Drugs."]

Note: Some of the techniques described below involve buying different drugs from different sources. While this may cut costs, there is a danger. Pharmacists are trained to recognize drugs that may have dangerous interactions. Many pharmacists use software that performs this function automatically. Patients who forgo one-source shopping need to be aware that they must find another way of ensuring that the drugs they take are not interacting in harmful ways.