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Medicare Drug Program News
Floridas Publix Markets Will No Long Match
Wal-Marts $4 Generic Drug Price
Will offer seven generic antibiotics at no cost,
which some think risky
Aug. 9, 2007 - Florida-based
Publix Super
Markets on Wednesday announced it no longer will match a
program
by Wal-Mart that offers 30-day supplies of 143 generic drugs for $4 per
prescription, the
St. Petersburg Times reports. Publix said it now will
focus on its antibiotics program (Bora,
St. Petersburg
Times, 8/9).
Publix on Monday began offering 14-day supplies of
seven common, generic antibiotics at no cost to customers with a valid
prescription, with no limit on the number of prescriptions a customer
may fill. The supermarket chain will offer the no-cost antibiotics at
its 684 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and
Tennessee (Kaiser
Daily Health Policy Report, 8/7).
Publix spokesperson Shannon Patten said, "We never
had a matching program, but in the spirit of customer service, we did
honor the $4 scripts when asked by customers."
Publix's antibiotic program, "initially lauded as a
smart marketing move by many, has lost some of its luster in the wake of
Publix's end to its $4 service," according to the
Times.
Lori Parham, Florida director for
AARP,
said, "The long-term drugs that people take for chronic conditions may
now be difficult to afford," adding, "Antibiotics are for short-term
use, and there's real concern nationally that people are overusing" them
(St.
Petersburg Times, 8/9).
Implications
Dow Jones
on Thursday examined the implications of "retailers cutting prices on
commonly prescribed generic drugs available at their stores'
pharmacies," particularly antibiotics.
Generic drug programs and no-cost antibiotic
programs could be most helpful to the uninsured, those with high drug
copayments and seniors in the so-called "doughnut hole" of their
Medicare prescription drug coverage, Georges Benjamin, executive
director of the
American Public
Health Association, said.
However, Benjamin said retailers should proceed
with such programs cautiously, adding that no-cost antibiotic programs
could lead to broader antibiotic resistance.
"We're going to send a letter to the
FDA
and let them know that while these things will improve access, they need
to be monitored to ensure there aren't any negative side effects,"
Benjamin said, adding, "If people's utilization is inappropriate and
grows because it's free ... we do run the risk of increased antibiotic
resistance."
Gary Claxton, a vice president of the
Kaiser Family
Foundation and director of the foundation's
Health Care
Marketplace Project, said, "Doctors are aware of the issues
of overprescribing antibiotics." Claxton noted that while discounted
drug programs could improve access to medications, "[y]ou still have to
go to the doctor, which costs more than the prescription" (Gerencher,
Dow Jones,
8/9).
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