Wal-Mart ups competition by offering discounts for OTCs, 90-day supplies

Wal-Mart has expanded its $4 generic program by adding new features. To begin with, Wal-Mart will now dispense up to 350 generic drugs at $10 apiece for a 90-day supply. In addition, in honor of women’s health month this month, the chain is offering alendronate for osteoporosis, tamoxifen for breast cancer, and combination estrogen/methyltestosterone tablets for menopause and hormone deficiency at $9 each for up to a 30-day supply or $24 for a 90-day supply. Finally, it is launching a $4 OTC program, in which more than 1,000 Equate-brand versions of popular drugs like Zantac, Pepcid, and Claritin are priced at $4 each. In a conference call yesterday, executives at the Bentonville, Ark., company stated that they fully expect other chains to join them in offering similar deals. They added that while some companies have gone so far as to offer free generics, they have no plans to go this route since it is not sustainable. Shortly after Wal-Mart broke the news, Target announced that it is matching Wal-Mart’s offer.

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