AARP, Mississippi Attorney General Report Finds Wide Price Variations Among State Pharmacies

Some pharmacies in Mississippi charge "significantly more than others for the same prescription drugs," according to a survey released July 2 by AARP and the state Attorney General's office, the AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal reports. Representatives from the attorney general's consumer protection division and AARP volunteers in April conducted telephone surveys of pharmacies in 10 cities across the state, inquiring about prices for the following drugs: alprazolam for anxiety, Ambien for problems with sleeping, the antibiotic Amoxicillin, Celebrex for arthritis, Evista for osteoporosis prevention and hydrocholorthiazide for high blood pressure. Results reflected a wide range of pricing practices even within a single town. For example, a 150 millimeter supply of Amoxicillin in Jackson cost $19.90 at one drug store and between $4 and $5 at another. In Natchez, the cost of 60 pills of alprazolam ranged from $8.20 to $25.79, while in Columbus a supply of 30 pills of Celebrex was sold for $92 in one pharmacy and $72.99 at another. Not all stores were consistent in their pricing, according to Michael Rhodes, the attorney general's consumer protection director; some stores had high prices for some drugs and low prices for others, he said. Attorney General Mike Moore (D) said, "The simple message is if you're a senior citizen and on a fixed income, then you ought to shop around for drug prices." Still, Jean Pitts, a resident in a Jackson retirement home, said, "It's hard for many senior citizens, especially [those] in their 90s, to go out and do their shopping" (Wagster, AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 7/3). Surveys by the state attorneys general in Arizona and Michigan have also found "wide variances" in drug pricing in their respective states (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 3/6).