Pharmacies In Low-Income Areas Of Florida Charge More For Four Medications Than Those In Higher-Income Areas, Study Finds

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 30 Oct 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Pharmacies in low-income areas of Florida on average charge more for four commonly used prescription drugs than those in higher-income areas, according to a recent study, Reuters Health reports. For the study, Walid Gellad of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and RAND and colleagues examined data on Myfloridarx.com, which includes prices for the 100 most commonly used prescription drugs at all pharmacies that fill prescriptions for Medicaid beneficiaries in the state. Researchers examined prices from November 2006 for the ulcer medication Nexium, the asthma treatment Advair, the blood thinner Plavix and the "Z-Pak" formulation of the antibiotic azithromycin. In addition, researchers categorized the 627 ZIP codes in the state into four groups based on median income.

The study found that the medications on average had the highest prices in the lowest-income areas, with average prices that exceeded the average prices in the state by 9%. Pharmacies in ZIP codes with median incomes less than $20,000 charged $176 for a one-month supply of Nexium, $213 for Advair, $163 for Plavix and $55 for Z-Pak, compared with $160, $198, $149 and $50, respectively, charged by pharmacies in ZIP codes with median incomes more than $60,000, according to the study. The study also found that independent pharmacies on average charged 15% more for the medications than the average prices in the state and that prices charged by chain pharmacies did not vary significantly based on location.

According to researchers, although prices charged by independent pharmacies in large part prompted the higher average prices for the medications in low-income ZIP codes, every ZIP code had independent pharmacies that charged the same prices for the treatments as chain pharmacies. However, researchers said that residents of low-income ZIP codes might face health literacy, transportation and other issues that can limit their ability to make price comparisons (Harding, Reuters Health, 10/28).

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