BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- WalMart executives are gratified that the retailer's $4 generics pricing has saved money for customers across the country, not only in its stores but at other chains that have adopted similar practices.
'We're proud of the fact that consumers are not having to choose between having a meal and taking their medications,' says senior vice president and general manager of pharmacy merchandising Paul Beahm.
He says the initiative has exemplified the company's 'Save money, live better' theme as well as any other Wal-Mart program. 'It has helped the insured, uninsured and employers,' he notes.
The program has also boosted patient compliance by making medication more affordable, he adds, noting that they are more regularly able to follow prescribed regimens. 'Short term, we're saving money; long term, if the therapy is right we believe morbidity will be lower,' he adds.
And the $4 scripts are not for obscure conditions. 'These aren't for the second- or third-tier of scripts written,' Beahm says. 'They're for some of the most common.
'We're very proud that we give doctors a wide spectrum of products for a wide spectrum of conditions.'
Additions of newly off-patent drugs only bolster the program, he says. Terbinafine (the generic equivalent of Lamisil) and courag (the equivalent of Carvatolol) were both quickly added to the program and boosted the two medications' affordability significantly, Beahm points out.
'The quality of the initiative can be gauged not only by the breadth of medications covered but by the speed at which we're adding new drugs,' he comments.
And that mirrors the speed with which Wal-Mart brings to market over-the-counter drugs switched from prescription status, he notes.
Besides saving patients money, Beahm adds, the generics program simplifies the prescription-filling process.
'We feel strongly that the health care delivery system today is too complex,' he remarks. 'One way to deliver savings is through a simple mode that bangs value. The clarity of the message to the consumer around a $4 price point takes out the complexity.
'If you have a card it doesn't matter, if you're insured it doesn't matter, if your co-pay is higher it doesn't matter. The brilliance is not only the breadth of coverage but the simplicity that it brings to customers. They've accepted it because it is simple. Delivering high-quality medications at a clear price is the power of the program.'
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
