Shopping for Drugs: 2004
Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- Comparing Prices
- Therapeutic Drug Substitution
- Bulk Buying
- Pill Splitting
- Generic Drug Substitutes
- Switching to Over-the-Counter Drugs
- Weighing the Cost and Benefits of a Drug
- Case Studies: Price Comparisons for Specific Drugs
- Buying Drugs Abroad
- Special Opportunities for Seniors: Medicare Discount Drug Cards
- Financial Assistance to Lower Drug Costs
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Appendix
- About The Author
Case Studies: Price Comparisons for Specific Drugs
Consumers can use one of the methods previously discussed or combine them all. Total savings can be significant, as the following case studies show. [For an additional example, see Appendix D for potential savings on anti-anxiety drugs.]
Case Study: Cardiovascular Drugs. Patients prescribed 50mg of Tenormin daily can save money by comparison shopping for the best price and quantity. [See the sidebar: “How to Save on Cardiovascular Drugs” and Appendix C.] For instance:
- Our survey found that the price of 100 (50mg) doses of Tenormin ranged from $138.40 at Drugstore.com to $120.59 at Eckerd.com.
- But patients could save at least 75 percent over the lowest cost brand-name drug by switching to the generic alternative Atenolol.
- One hundred doses of the generic drug ranged from $26.63 at Drugstore.com to $8.29 at Costco.com.
- Finally, consumers could save another 40 percent (from $8.29 to $4.75) by buying larger pills (100mg) and splitting them in half.
Smart buying of this drug lowered the potential overall cost by 97 percent — from a high of $138.40 to a low of $4.75.
Case Study: Heartburn Drugs. By smart shopping, a consumer prescribed the heartburn drug Nexium can save as much as 85 percent. [See the sidebar “How to Save on Heartburn Drugs.”] For example:
- If purchased in small quantities from RxUSA’s Web site, Nexium (20mg) costs about $419.83 per 100 tablets; however, a shopper opting for Drugstore.com would pay $385.52 for 100 tablets, an 8 percent savings.
- Buying the generic equivalent of a therapeutic substitute, such as 20mg Omeprazole, would save about 41 percent.
- Furthermore, because Prilosec, a branded form of the generic drug Omeprazole, is now available over the counter, a savvy consumer opting to pay $62.62 for a 100-day supply from Drugstsore.com would save 85 percent off the most expensive option.
