Feb 1, 2008 4:31 pm US/Eastern
Coupons May Lower Cost Of Prescription Drugs
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Even with insurance, prescription drugs can be expensive. What many don't realize is that there are coupons that can be used on certain prescriptions to help with the costs.
"I didn't know that there were coupons for prescription drugs," said consumer Ilene Stern.
There are deals on all kinds of brand name prescriptions for treatments for asthma, high blood pressure, and sleep disorders. A new Web site called
OptimizeRX.com lists all the available offers.
"Savings programs range from coupons where you can get a portion of your co-pay, such as 15 dollars off your co-pay," said David Harrell of optimizerx.com. "Some include a rebate program."
You can also get free trials. We found coupons for three commonly prescribed drugs, including one for Lipitor offering up to $180 off co pays over a year. Stern was able to find one for her thyroid prescription.
"There were coupons that allowed me to have 30 days for free with an option to renew three additional times," she said.
For the most part, doctors don't see any harm with these promotions.
"If it's for medication that you're taking and that is going to be something that you can take for a long period of time, then I don't see any real problem with that. Why not?" said Dr. Edward Langston of the American Medical Association.
But not everyone is on board. A Boston-based consumer group would like to see drug promotions banned altogether.
"They need to stop treating prescription drugs like shampoo and fabric softener," said Alex Sugerman-Brozan with the Prescription Access Litigation. "These are not just consumer products, they're medical treatments."
The group Prescription Access Litigation worries that the coupons interfere with the doctor-patient relationship. That's because they're only for brand name drugs, meaning there might not really be any savings.
In many instances, a brand name drug with a coupon is still more expensive than a generic drug.
Doctors warn that patients should not try to convince their physician to prescribe a certain drug just because of a promotional offer.
They say that the first criteria should always be whether or not the drug is medically appropriate.
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