Call for support of prescription-drug price registry

In the past year, drug costs have increased at twice the rate of inflation. High drug costs deliver a difficult blow to those least able to afford it - the low-income and the hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents who lack health care coverage. Individuals who do not have health insurance pay the highest prices for their prescription drugs.

AARP New Jersey and Sen. Barbara Buono are proud to support S1396. This bill requires pharmacies to compile drug retail price lists, which will then be posted on an Internet Web site developed and maintained by the state.

We know that this approach yields real benefits. A New York state Web site that allows residents to compare the prices of prescription drugs at pharmacies statewide saves patients an average of $17 per prescription, reports the AP/Albany Times Union. The Web site, www.nyagrx.org, lists prices of the 150 most-commonly prescribed medications at about 600 pharmacies throughout the state. According to the analysis of those who administer the site in the office of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, patients who use the Web site obtain an average discount of 24 percent on prescription-drug prices. However, in some cases, an even wider gap exists among the medications listed on the site. Depakote, a medication for bipolar disorder, epilepsy and migraines, had the largest difference in price at $85. The Web site was launched in August 2004, and, according to the AP/Albany Times Union, has since received about 3.5 million hits.

Knowledge is power. A prescription-drug retail price registry will give all consumers the facts to help them make an informed decision when purchasing prescription drugs. New Jersey residents need to be given the opportunity to compare prices among prescription drugs just as they would for any other product in our free-market economy. We can compare gasoline prices just by driving down the road. We can compare food and consumer products on every grocery store shelf. Why shouldn't we be able compare our prescription-drug prices?

Urge your New Jersey Assembly member and senator today to support this vital legislation. As we have seen in New York, it can really save money for our most vulnerable citizens and for all of us.

Also, it will have a very modest price tag, both for the state and the pharmacies, especially when compared to other prescription-assistance programs.

Sy Larson

state president

AARP New Jersey

Sen. Barbara Buono

(D-18)