Wal-Mart Offers 90 Day Supply of Prescription Meds for Ten Bucks

First posted on 05-05-2008

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.announced it would expand its discounted prescription drug program to offer 90-day supplies for $10 and add several women’s medications at a discount. It also said it would lower the price of more than 1,000 over-the-counter drugs.

The medications for women will be added to the company’s list of prescriptions available for $9 and include medicines used in the treatment of breast cancer and hormone deficiency.

One such drug is alendronate, the generic version of osteoporosis medication Fosamax. Wal-Mart said it will fill those prescriptions for $9 for a 30 day supply and $24 for a 90 day supply. That compares to $54 and $102 respectively that women had to pay for the medication prior to the announced changes.

Company officials said that Wal-Mart stores would also lower the prices of more than 1,000 over-the-counter medications to $4 or less in its pharmacies. The price rollbacks represent about a third of the retailer’s over-the-counter medicines.

Since 2006, Wal-Mart’s $4 generic drug program has expanded to every state, except North Dakota, where Wal-Mart has no in-store pharmacies. The move by Wal-Mart has forced many of its competitors to follow suit.

While stressing that the expansion was designed to help customers at a time of exorbitant health-care costs and difficult economic times, Wal-Mart senior vice president John Agwunobi said the program has worked in everyone’s favor.

“This is the time for us now to begin building capacity,” he said. “It offers employers potential savings. It offers the customers significant savings. It also offers us the ability to add capacity to our pharmacies without adding people.”