Wal-Mart Further Expanding Drug Discount Program

Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday announced plans to expand a generic prescription drug discount program introduced earlier this year to 11 additional states and to add 17 medications to program (AP/Houston Chronicle, 11/16).

Wal-Mart in September announced that the program -- under which some company pharmacies would sell 30-day prescriptions of certain generic medications for $4 -- initially would include 65 Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Neighborhood Market pharmacies in the Tampa, Fla., area and would expand statewide in early 2007 and possibly to other states in the future. Last month, Wal-Mart expanded the program statewide in Florida and to 26 additional states (California Healthline, 11/9).

According to the latest announcement, Wal-Mart will expand the program to Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Washington and West Virginia.

Wal-Mart officials said that the company plans to expand the program to additional states as early as possible (AP/Houston Chronicle, 11/16). Prior to the latest announcement, the program covered 143 different generic medications in a total of 314 dosages (California Healthline, 11/9).

This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.