Wal-Mart Adds 12 More States Today to Discount
Program on Generic Drugs
Many local pharmacies
introduce competitive campaigns
October 26, 2006 – Wal-Mart says it has filled
152,000 new prescriptions in the first four days of rolling out its
$4-for-30-day supply generic drug program to 14 states. Today it adds 12
more states to the list.
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The $4 generic prescription program will be now be
available in an additional 1,008 stores throughout Alabama, Georgia,
Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire,
Ohio, South Dakota and Virginia.
The additional good news for seniors in these
states is that in other states, where Wal-Mart has introduced this
discount, it has been met with competitive offers by other pharmacies in
those areas.
The Wal-Mart program, launched in 1,499 pharmacies
in 15 states during the past month, was originally slated to launch in
as many states as possible outside of Florida as early as January 2007,
but customer demand led the company to accelerate the launch.
"No American should have to cut pills in half,
decide between taking medicine and putting food on the table, or go
without medicines altogether," said Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee
Scott. "We are very proud to be leading this effort to make sure our
nation's seniors, working families and uninsured get the medications
they need at a price they can afford."
The program is particularly attractive to senior
citizens who have fallen into the Medicare drug program "donut hole," a
gap in coverage where seniors must pay full-price for their drugs and
continue to pay premiums to their plan.
The $4 generics program includes 314 generic
prescriptions available for up to a 30-day supply at commonly prescribed
dosages. According to www.rxlist.com, the list also represents 14 of the
top 20 prescribed medications in the United States. With 314 generic
prescriptions, the list is made up of as many as 143 compounds in 24
therapeutic categories.
Generic medicines generally cost between 30 to 60
percent less than equivalent brand name products and Wal-Mart estimates
that its list of $4 generic prescriptions represents more than 25
percent of prescriptions currently dispensed in its pharmacies
nationwide.
In making this announcement, Bill Simon, executive
vice president of Wal-Mart's Professional Services Division, said the
customer response has been significant. Within four days of the October
19, 2006 roll-out announcement, more than 152,000 new prescriptions were
filled by Wal-Mart pharmacies in all 14 states.
Simon also shared that he has heard hundreds of
stories from customers and pharmacists about the program's value. And,
he noted, many customers have been surprised by the savings.
"In Texas, when a woman was told that the
prescriptions were $4, she became fearful that one of our associates was
trying to be overly kind and help her pay for them. So she said that she
could not accept the prescriptions because she did not want the cashier
to be fired. When the pharmacist convinced her otherwise, she exclaimed
-- with tears in her eyes -- that she was going out to celebrate by
having a Whataburger(TM) for supper," said Simon.
"You see, she hadn't been able to treat herself to
this indulgence for nearly a year because money was too tight. We take
great pride in knowing that this program is making a real difference in
our customers' lives."
Simon said that Wal-Mart will continue to push for
expansion to other states as quickly as possible.
