Wal-Mart launches $4 drug plan in AR, 13 other states

With the announcement, the $4 generic prescription program will be now be available in an additional 1,264 stores throughout Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Vermont. The program was launched in 235 Florida pharmacies on October 6, 2006. Wal-Mart originally planned to introduce the program in as many states as possible beginning in 2007, but customer demand led the company to accelerate the launch. The $4 generics program includes 314 generic prescriptions available for up to a 30-day supply at commonly prescribed dosages. Wal-Mart estimates that the list of $4 prescription medications represents nearly 25 percent of prescriptions that it currently dispenses in its pharmacies nationwide. In making the announcement, Bill Simon, executive vice president of the Professional Services Division for Wal-Mart, said the response in Florida has been considerable, with 88,235 new prescriptions filled in the ten days after the October 6, 2006 rollout. The prescription medicines included in the program represent many of the most commonly prescribed generic medications in a wide range of therapeutic categories. Generics contain the same high quality active ingredients as their "brand-name" counterparts and are equally effective but cost significantly less. (Copyright 2006 Newsroom Solutions, LLC)