Publix No Longer Will Match Retailers’ Generic Drug Discounts

Florida-based Publix Super Markets on Wednesday announced it no longer will match a program by Wal-Mart that offers 30-day supplies of 143 generic drugs for $4 per prescription, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Publix said it now will focus on its antibiotics program (Bora, St. Petersburg Times, 8/9).

Publix on Monday began offering 14-day supplies of seven common, generic antibiotics at no cost to customers with a valid prescription, with no limit on the number of prescriptions a customer may fill. The supermarket chain will offer the no-cost antibiotics at its 684 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 8/7).

Publix spokesperson Shannon Patten said, "We never had a matching program, but in the spirit of customer service, we did honor the $4 scripts when asked by customers." Publix's antibiotic program, "initially lauded as a smart marketing move by many, has lost some of its luster in the wake of Publix's end to its $4 service," according to the Times. Lori Parham, Florida director for AARP, said, "The long-term drugs that people take for chronic conditions may now be difficult to afford," adding, "Antibiotics are for short-term use, and there's real concern nationally that people are overusing" them (St. Petersburg Times, 8/9).

Implications
Dow Jones on Thursday examined the implications of "retailers cutting prices on commonly prescribed generic drugs available at their stores' pharmacies," particularly antibiotics. Generic drug programs and no-cost antibiotic programs could be most helpful to the uninsured, those with high drug copayments and seniors in the so-called "doughnut hole" of their Medicare prescription drug coverage, Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said.

However, Benjamin said retailers should proceed with such programs cautiously, adding that no-cost antibiotic programs could lead to broader antibiotic resistance. "We're going to send a letter to the FDA and let them know that while these things will improve access, they need to be monitored to ensure there aren't any negative side effects," Benjamin said, adding, "If people's utilization is inappropriate and grows because it's free ... we do run the risk of increased antibiotic resistance."

Gary Claxton, a vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and director of the foundation's Health Care Marketplace Project, said, "Doctors are aware of the issues of overprescribing antibiotics." Claxton noted that while discounted drug programs could improve access to medications, "[y]ou still have to go to the doctor, which costs more than the prescription" (Gerencher, Dow Jones, 8/9).