Pennsauken resident Rich Nurthen, 50, is among area consumers who were happy to learn last week that retailer Wal-Mart is rolling out a program pricing 290 generic drugs at a rate of $4 per prescription for a 30-day supply.

"That's a great program," said Nurthen, who on Friday was heading into the Cherry Hill Wal-Mart off Route 38. "For $4 a prescription, I'll definitely come here. Right now, the generics under my plan are $20."

Nurthen, who uses a generic medication to treat his hypertension, now fills his prescriptions at CVS, but said he would be inclined to switch pharmacies once the Wal-Mart program reaches New Jersey if his and his wife's drugs are on the chain's list of low-cost generics.

The list released by Wal-Mart officials Thursday covers a range of common conditions and illnesses, including allergy, arthritis, bacterial infections, depression, asthma, heart disease, diabetes and gastrointestinal dysfunction.

Kevin Thornton, a spokesman for the company, said the program will offer significant savings, particularly since the low-cost drugs will also be available to customers who lack prescription coverage.

"This is definitely a lowering of the cost of these drugs," Thornton said. "We negotiated lower purchasing prices with our pharmaceutical partners and factors such as better (inventory tracking) technology also help us take cost out of the equation."

Terri O'Connell, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Medicare Access Network, said the move could also help Medicare-covered seniors avoid reaching prescription coverage gaps known as doughnut holes since the $4 rate could allow them to purchase some drugs off-policy, thereby extending the time it takes to reach their coverage cap.

"Conversely, once they get into the doughnut hole, they can use those receipts as proof of out-of-pocket drug costs," O'Connell said, "and that can help them get out of the hole and resume coverage sooner."

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, characterized the retailer's move as "significant" from a policy perspective.

"It's right-siding the costs of pharmaceuticals," he said. "Medications are marvelous, but they cost too much. We have many low-income individuals and people without insurance who can't afford them."

Benjamin said he hopes the Wal-Mart move will spark a trend among other retailers. Indeed, on Friday, Target announced it would match Wal-Mart's effort by rolling out a similar low-cost generic prescription drug program. But not everyone is impressed by the retailers' moves.

"This is all P.R. hype," said Steven Magaziner, an independent pharmacist and owner of Magaziner's Covered Bridge Pharmacy in Cherry Hill. "Basically, those (listed) drugs are (wholesale) priced anywhere between $2 and $10 per 100 pills," said Magaziner, who questions whether Wal-Mart is offering savings that aren't already available. "We've been pricing our 30-day generics at $3, $4 and $5 anyway. I just think (Wal-Mart's announcement) is a great marketing tool, and I wish that independent pharmacists had gotten together and done this before."

While Cherry Hill resident Robert Schorr, 75, believes consumers will definitely benefit from the recent moves made by Wal-Mart and Target, he also believes there's a bit of overplay attached to the action.

"I'm excited because every little bit helps," said Schorr, who under his insurance pays $9 each for 30-day supplies of two of the drugs on Wal-Mart's list. He would pay $4 each if the program were now available in New Jersey. The fact that it's not is among Schorr's disappointments with the announcement.

"It's only in Florida, and out of 2,200 generic drugs they're only offering 300," he explained. "And, actually, it's only about 150 different drugs because each available dosage is counted as a separate drug on their list."

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