Maxalt

CHICAGO -- With an April 1 visit to a Walgreen Co. drug store at 111 South Halsted on Chicago s west side, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced a new partnership with the nation's largest retail pharmacy chain to promote and expand a recently launched prescription discount program for seniors. At the same time, Blagojevich said the state has struck a deal with pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. that he said would provide additional discounts to Illinois seniors.

The state unveiled its Rx Buying Club Jan. 1 and made it available to all Illinois residents ages 65 and over and the disabled. Members pay a $25 annual administrative fee and, in return, receive a discount card they can use when purchasing any prescription medication at more than 50,000 participating pharmacies across the United States. In its first three months, the program achieved average savings of 21 percent for its 62,450 members, according to the governor s office.

"We created the Illinois Prescription Drugs Buying Club to help senior citizens save money when they buy their prescription drugs," said Blagojevich, who made appearances at Walgreens stores in Rockford and Bloomington, Ill., as well as in Chicago to announce the chain's expanded involvement.

"The drug club is based on a simple idea: We asked the 2 million seniors and disabled citizens to join forces with state employees and others covered by the state's health programs," he added. "Together, we can combine all that buying power to negotiate discounts with pharmacies and drug manufacturers."

Under terms of its alliance with the state, Walgreens agreed to offer members of the buying club the deepest discounts on branded and generic drugs available under the plan and to scrap a $3.50 co-pay for members. The chain also agreed to create and display signs promoting the club and to make applications for the program available in all 460 of its Illinois locations, according to Walgreens spokesman Michael Polzin.

Until May 15, consumers who apply for the discount card at Walgreens will receive a $25 gift certificate for future Walgreens prescription purchases.

"It's being promoted mostly at the store level, as opposed to [corporate] advertising," Polzin said. "The reason we're participating is because this is another option for people to lower their drug costs."

"I want to thank Walgreens for being such good corporate citizens, and taking the lead on such an important issue," Blagojevich said.

According to a report in The Chicago Tribune, while visiting the Chicago Walgreens store, the Illinois governor added, "The next time I run out of toothpaste, I'm going to buy it at Walgreens."

The state s deal with Merck, meanwhile, has added additional firepower to the Rx Club discount program. "Starting ... April 1, discount card holders will be able to take advantage of additional rebates on the following Merck drugs: Zocor, Singulair, Fosamax, Vioxx, Maxalt, Cozaar, Hyzaar, Proscar, Trusopt and Cosopt," noted the governor's office in a statement. "For example, a 30-tablet package of the popular cholesterol-fighting drug Zocor, which currently sells for $132.99 at Walgreens.com. and costs Rx Club members $121.91, now will cost Rx Club members $101.08 at Walgreens. That's a savings of 24 percent off the online retail price."

Blagojevich, who has campaigned for the legal importation of lower-priced medicines from Canada, said his administration is negotiating similar rebates with other drug companies for the Rx Buying Club and for other state-managed health plans.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group