In these tough times, we're all doing a lot of bargain shopping. But did you know you can hunt for deals on the drugs you need to stay healthy? We did a major survey to check prescription prices at the big chains. And as ABC2 News Investigator Joce Sterman found, the difference on drug prices might be hard to swallow.
They're lifesavers, pills that control cholesterol, allergies, depression and heart problems. But just because these drugs could keep you alive doesn't mean the companies that sell them will cut you a break on their prices. Shopper Don Inches sums it up saying, “Prescription drugs are insane. Insane. Drug prices are crazy.”
And saving means shopping around at different chains, but you can't stop there. That’s because our ABC2 investigation we found big differences in what you'll pay from store to store even within a chain. For instance, you could save $14 on one drug just from driving from one Walgreens in East Baltimore up to the one in Rodgers Forge. But some moms like Linnea Chelseldine say that’s too much effort. She says, "I don't like to hop around to too many stores with a three-year-old. I like to get in and out."
That's why we did the work so you don't have to bargain shop. We took the six top selling drugs, Lipitor, Singulair, Lexapro, Nexium, Synthroid and Plavix and checked the flat price for a 30-day supply with no insurance and no special discounts.
Many of the people we spoke with suspected the prices would be the same no matter where you shop, but that’s not what we found after calling more than 60 pharmacies in seven chains (Costco, CVS, Giant, Rite Aid, Target, Walgreens Walmart) to see the difference in dollars and cents.
Student Kelechi Maduchukwu suspected one chain would come out on top. She says, "I'm pretty sure Walmart might be cheaper. It seems cheaper.” It may seem cheaper but we found Walmart didn't offer the lowest price for any drug we asked about. Instead, Costco was the cheapest every time. With Nexium, shoppers could save more than $66 buying at any Costco compared to the most expensive store where we found the drug, Rite Aid in Edgewood.
Costco beat the competition on Lipitor too, charging just $88 compared to $114 at eight CVS stores we called. Chelseldine was surprised saying, "The same product should be worth the same amount. Right? You would think so."
That wasn't the case with Lexapro. We found the highest price at six CVS stores, $121. But if you went to Targets in five different areas around Baltimore - you'd pay just $99. That’s why Target shopper Marty Fischer is loyal to the chain. He says, "I know I get a good price here. That's why I go to Target."
But not every Target offers the same price on every drug we checked. They were uniform across the board on Plavix but with Nexium you could save as much as $10 depending on which bulls eye you hit. Maduchukwu was upset by our findings, telling us, "I think it's ridiculous they charge you different prices depending on where you are."
Still they do differ within chains. Take Rite Aid for example. They sold Singulair for $143 in four stores. But their Cockeysville location had the drug for $193, a $50 difference. That was the biggest difference we found within one chain.
And you can save on Synthroid too. A month's supply at one Rite Aid was $26, but you could pay $15 at any Costco or $18 at any Walmart we checked. So why the difference? The stores we talked to say it's about local competition and operational costs. But for many shoppers, the price they end up with doesn’t even matter. They tell us loyalty, options and location often trump the best price.
The chains we talked to agree. They tell us that while price is a big deal, things like 24-hour service, drive-thru windows and automated options also make them competitive. And they say sticking with one store is the safest route because the pharmacy will know all the drugs you're taking and can look for potential interactions.
But you don't have to sacrifice savings for the other perks offered by the pharmacy closest to you. You can find the best price just by checking with the chain you choose for special prescription programs. Walgreens offers a Prescription Savings Club, which offers some generic prescriptions for as little as $1 per week and discounts on brand name drugs. Rite Aid has an Rx Savings card that gives members the chance to buy certain generic prescriptions for $8.99 for a 30-day supply. In addition, Target has a generic drug program that will cost you only $4 for a 30-day supply of many prescriptions. And both CVS and Giant offer shoppers the chance to buy hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $9.99 for a 90-day supply. Costco's rep tells us they recently started the Costco Member Prescription Program to help members who do not have insurance. The company says it is negotiating with pharmaceutical companies and passing the rebates on to participants in the program.
