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Consumer Reports Launches Public Education Campaign
to Help Consumers Save on Medicines
Best Buy Drugs kicks off by comparing price,
effectiveness in three drug categories
Dec. 10, 2004 - Consumers Union, publisher of
Consumer Reports magazine, yesterday launched an educational and
outreach initiative and free website,
www.CRBestBuyDrugs.org, that will compare a variety of
prescription drugs on price, effectiveness and safety to help consumers
and their doctors identify the most effective and affordable medicines.
The first reports to be released compare drugs in
three widely-used categories: cholesterol-lowering medication, heartburn
and acid reflux treatments, and anti-inflammatories commonly used to
treat arthritis.
Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs eventually
will compare approximately 20 categories of the most widely used drugs
based on price and scientific evidence. When justified by the evidence,
the organization will choose a Best Buy Drug in a given category.
One of the most serious problems in health care
today is that tens of millions Americans arent taking the medicines
they need, in large part because they cant afford them, said Joel
Gurin, executive vice president of Consumers Union. By identifying
lower-cost medicines that are every bit as effective, we hope to change
that.
We also hope the drug industry will compete more
aggressively on price when consumers begin to migrate to effective and
safe drugs that are also more affordable, Gurin added.
By logging onto
www.CRBestBuyDrugs.org, consumers will find downloadable reports
of the first three drug categories analyzed. Among the findings: For
cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins, the analysis yielded the
selection of generic lovastatin as the Best Buy Drug for people
who need to reduce their LDL (bad) cholesterol levels by less than 40
percent. The drug costs an average of about $1 a day, compared with more
expensive but not necessarily more effective or safer statins that
can cost in excess of $4 a day. However, for those who need to reduce
their LDL by more than 40 percent, Lipitor (atorvastatin) was selected
as the Best Buy Drug.
For treatment of heartburn, ulcer and acid reflux
disease drugs know as proton pump inhibitors the analysis resulted
in the selection of the over-the-counter drug Prilosec OTC (omeprazole)
as a Best Buy Drug. At a cost of about 79 cents a day, Prilosec
OTC costs one-fifth that of the next least expensive drug. Because it is
sold over-the-counter, the report suggests consumers with prescription
drug coverage check with their health insurance plan to see if it offers
a discount coupon, or talk with their doctor about choosing a drug that
has the lowest out-of-pocket cost under their plan.
For treatment of arthritis and pain, CUs
evaluation selected generic ibuprofen and generic salsalate as the
Best Buy Drugs. At an average cost of $24 to $30 a month, both
prescription medicines are substantially less expensive than other drugs
in the class called nonsteroidal antiinflammatories (NSAIDs). The
scientific evidence shows the two drugs are as effective as any NSAID,
including best-selling Celebrex (celecoxib). This is particularly good
news for people with arthritis who are now looking for an alternative to
Vioxx, which has been withdrawn from the market for safety reasons. The
report suggests that people with a history of stomach ulcers and
gastrointestinal bleeding talk with their doctor about their options,
and consider avoiding NSAIDs altogether.
Each month, CRBestBuyDrugs.org will feature
a report on another drug category. The Web site will enable people to
download information and take it to their doctor to discuss the most
cost-effective treatment options.
Consumers and their doctors need credible,
unbiased information about the comparative effectiveness and cost of
prescription drugs, said Gail Shearer, director of health policy
analysis based in Consumers Unions Washington Office. We hope that our
outreach and educational efforts will result in millions of people being
able to afford needed medicines, and in large savings for many others
whose doctors prescribe an effective, lower-cost prescription instead of
a high-priced medicine, Shearer added.
Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs combines
evidence-based research on the comparative effectiveness and safety of
prescription drugs with national-level data on drug prices. The
information on drug effectiveness is derived from the Drug Effectiveness
Review Project (DERP) which used teams of physicians and researchers at
the Oregon Health & Science University Evidence-based Practice Center.
The Project compiles drug effectiveness data for states to shape
prescription drug coverage choices for their Medicaid programs. Drug
price information used by CU is based on average retail prices paid in
cash by consumers at the pharmacy.
The CU reports are peer-reviewed by medical experts
in the particular drug category.
In addition to the website, Consumer Reports
Best Buy Drugs will do significant outreach to physician,
pharmacist, senior and low-income groups to help ensure the information
gets into their hands. The initial outreach campaign will launch in
Atlanta and Sacramento early next year and then will expand to
California, Georgia, and other states later in 2005.
Among the groups that have agreed to partner with
Consumers Union to help disseminate the information are the American
Public Health Association, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and the
American Medical School Association. Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs
is funded in part with a major grant from the Engelberg Foundation,
a charitable trust that supports a wide range of activities in the
fields of health care, science and education. The project is also
partially funded through a grant from the National Library of Medicine
of the National Institutes of Health.
Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs is one of
several health projects being launched by Consumers Union, which is
committed to helping consumers get credible, trustworthy information to
make informed decisions about their healthcare. CU recently began a
grassroots advocacy campaign, www.PrescriptionforChange.org, to
empower consumers to change state and federal policies to help ensure
safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs for all. Among the
campaigns top priorities is a public clinical drug trial registry to
ensure all safety information is accessible to doctors, researchers and
patients.
Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer
Reportsฎ, is an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission
is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and
to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we
test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and
impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples,
and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. CU supports
itself through the sale of our information products and services,
individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants.
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