“Consumers may look to Wal-Mart for cheaper prices on toys and laundry soap,” said NCPA Executive Vice President and CEO Bruce Roberts, RPh.  “But they apparently do not look to Wal-Mart for their health care needs and that’s a good thing because prescription medications can mean life or death to a patient and should not be treated as a mere commodity.” 

The NCPA survey found:

• Although 77 percent of people said they had heard about Wal-Mart’s generic drug program and 69 percent said they shopped Wal-Mart frequently, only 11 percent said they had, or knew someone else who had, tried to fill a prescription at Wal-Mart for $4
• Of that 11 percent, less than half (42 percent) said they or the person they knew had a positive experience
• Of the one-third (33 percent) who said they or the person they knew had a negative experience trying to purchase a generic for $4 at Wal-Mart, nearly one out of five (18 percent) said their prescription was not covered under the plan.  Other respondents said the $4 plan was not cheaper or was more expensive and others complained that the service was slow.

“Consumers need to look closely at the fine print of the program, which is available ‘In Select Stores Only,’” Roberts said.  “The medications available on Wal-Mart’s list frequently are the oldest and weakest in their drug class and may have side effects that newer medications do not.  More than 20 drugs on the list are not recommended for seniors and could have serious side effects if taken by seniors.” 

NCPA cautions that, under the Wal-Mart program, many patients will end up leaving the pharmacy without the medication they need—the victim of a bait-and-switch promotional scheme. NCPA challenged Wal-Mart to back up its claim that 30 percent of its prescriptions are being filled from the list of $4 generics by allowing an independent auditor to review the number of $4 prescription claims.  The program, which claims to sell up to a 30-day supply of generic medications for $4, has been rolled out in 38 states since September.

Instead of helping consumers, the program may be aimed more at diverting the criticism Wal-Mart has received regarding the lack of health insurance for many of its own employees. Critics cite data that show thousands of Wal-Mart employees must rely on state Medicaid programs funded with taxpayer dollars for their health care coverage.

The survey also found that consumers are aware of the business tactics behind Wal-Mart’s ploy. Sixty percent of those surveyed agreed that Wal-Mart’s program did not offer all of the cost-savings it advertised and was more focused on driving customers to the store to spend money in departments other than the pharmacy.  More than half (57 percent) agreed that Wal-Mart’s program was aimed at forcing community pharmacies out of business.

“It’s ironic that at a time when Wal-Mart is promoting a MONOPOLY® extravaganza at some its stores, its business practices seem to say Wal-Mart wants to be a monopoly too,” Roberts said.

The survey of 600 adults was conducted Nov. 9-11, 2006, and has a margin of error of +/- 4.0 percent.

The National Community Pharmacists Association, founded in 1898, represents the nation’s community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 24,000 pharmacies.  The nation’s independent pharmacies, independent pharmacy franchises, and independent chains dispense nearly half of the nation's retail prescription medicines.