Wal-Mart's $4 generics having an impact

EconomicsPatientsPharma
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The Wal-Mart PR folks have put together a 4 minute video on their $4 generic program. It has 'real people' talking about how Wal-Mart has helped by making drugs more affordable for them. The video ends with a bullet point summary of the program's impact:

  • Includes 14 of the top 20 prescribed meds
  • Available at all 3810 Wal-Mart's
  • Saved consumers ~$290 M since it was put in place last year

If anything, Wal-Mart is being too modest about the program's impact. I'd add the following:

  • Improves medication adherence and health status by making it affordable for patients to take their medicine as directed, rather than stretching it out
  • Saves money for consumers who don't shop at Wal-Mart, by encouraging other retailers to reduce prices
  • Saves money for purchasers of insurance, by resetting the baseline for what generics should cost
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