By Leisa Zigman I-Team Reporter
St. Louis (KSDK) - An I-Team consumer report into the price of prescription drugs found a way to possibly save you hundreds of dollars.
We compared the price of some of the most popular prescription drugs at ten local pharmacies. We asked for the brand name product and what the out-of-pocket cost would be for one tablet or one package.
The biggest price shock was for Advair, a popular medication for people with asthma or chronic breathing problems. Dierbergs had the most expensive price while the Medicine Shoppe on Grand in south St. Louis had the best price. There was a $100.00 difference between the two stores.
Advair
$400.00 Dierbergs
$371.99 Walgreens
$368.00 Ladue Pharmacy
$345.99 CVS
$342.29 Schnucks
$332.69 Shop 'n Save
$327.99 Target
$315.41 Costco
$307.46 Sam's Club
$300.00 Medicine Shoppe
"Wow! That is a huge difference and being in the pharmacy profession I wouldn't have even expected that much of a difference. The big box stores have the perception they might be lower cost and yet, they're not," said Terry Seaton, a professor with the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.
Sam Bae is the pharmacist and owner of the winning Medicine Shoppe.
He says the prices at other Medicine Shoppes might be different since they are franchises, but overall, neighborhood stores can compete with the big guys.
"We as independent local pharmacies have a lower overhead cost than other pharmacies so they have a higher markup in most cases," said Bae.
When it comes to Viagra we found another big price difference.
Walgreens charged the most for a 100 mg tablet.
Viagra
$32.69 Walgreens
$29.50 Ladue Pharmacy
$27.99 Dierbergs
$27.69 Schnucks
$25.79 CVS
$25.38 Costco
$24.00 Shop 'n Save
$23.99 Target
$21.68 Sam's Club
$20.00 Medicine Shoppe
Again, the best price was at the Medicine Shoppe on Grand. Bae charges $20.00 per pill. That is $12.00 less than Walgreens.
Walgreens prices on each drug we checked were consistent from store to store with the exception of Viagra. At the Walgreens on Hampton it cost about $30.00 a pill. But in Chesterfield, Clayton, and Des Peres, the stores were charging two dollars more per pill.
Despite repeated attempts, Walgreens never responded.
The number one selling drug is Lipitor, and this time Medicine Shoppe had the highest price at $15.00 per pill.
Lipitor
$15.00 Medicine Shoppe
$11.99 Walgreens, CVS, Dierbergs
$11.39 Schnucks
$9.69 Shop 'n Save
$8.95 Ladue Pharmacy
$6.99 Costco
$5.99 Target
$4.36 Sam's Club
Another best selling drug is Nexium. Sam's Club had the best price while Medicine Shoppe had the highest.
$15.00 Medicine Shoppe
$13.29 Walgreens
$12.19 Schnucks
$11.99 CVS, Dierbergs
$9.69 Shop 'n Save
$9.43 Costco
$8.95 Ladue Pharmacy
$7.99 Target
$6.88 Sam's Club
The final drug we tested was Plavix and Target had the best price.
$14.09 Schnucks
$13.59 Walgreens
$12.00 Medicine Shoppe
$11.00 CVS and Dierbergs
$10.69 Shop 'n Save
$9.95 Ladue Pharmacy
$9.83 Costco
$7.32 Sam's Club
$6.99 Target
While calling around could save you money, experts say it's important to make sure your pharmacist knows all the drugs you are taking so that he or she can alert you if one medication would counteract with another.
Some store managers and pharmacists aren't going to like this report and they'll argue most people don't pay out of pocket and they don't buy just one pill.
But saving money is important for most of us, and some drugs aren't covered at all.
Prices of drugs change and Dierbergs lowered its price on Advair by $60.00. Below are some comments from Todd Vasel, a spokesperson for Dierbergs.
"We do regular price comparison checks--as do most, if not all, pharmacies. The difference you referenced on Advair is most likely our pricing adjustment lagging behind the market on this one particular item. In other words, on Advair, it's very likely that competing pharmacies recently took a price decrease and we hadn't made that adjustment yet. Regardless, the snapshot you take on any one day could look different the day prior, or the day after, as retailers are continuously making these adjustments."
KSDK