PharmacyChecker Blog

Helping Americans Get The Truth About Prescription Drug Savings
Published by:

Free Atorvastatin – Generic Lipitor – If You Live in the Midwest…

Why spend $194.00 for a three-month supply of generic Lipitor (20 mg), called atorvastatin, at a local pharmacy in Detroit when you can get it for free? We’ve been comparing prices on Lipitor for years, and  we’ve finally found the lowest possible price for its generic alternative – ZERO!

That’s right – Meijer, a Michigan-based chain store with locations throughout the Midwest, is offering atorvastatin for free in all of its pharmacies. Considering over 40 million prescriptions were written for Lipitor last year, Meijer’s price is just what the doctor ordered.

So, if you live near a Meijer store and are in need of atorvastatin, then Meijer is the place to go. On the other hand, if you want to find the lowest price on brand name Lipitor, or other brand name drugs, then comparing prices on PharmacyChecker.com is your best bet. You can save 89% or about $2,400 per year just by ordering Lipitor online!

Check out these prices and happy savings!

Brand Name Lipitor Prices

For other medications

Share
Tagged with: , ,

Lipitor Generic in the U.S. More Expensive Than Pfizer’s Brand Lipitor Abroad

Generic Lipitor, called atorvastatin, is now available in U.S. pharmacies but PharmacyChecker.com price data shows that it’s actually far more expensive than brand name Lipitor sold abroad. The bottom line with Lipitor and atorvastatin is that for the insured with pharmacy benefits, co-payments for Lipitor, whether brand or generic, will now be very low. But if you must pay for your prescription drugs out of pocket, you can save approximately 70% buying the brand name drug from international online pharmacies instead of the generic drug domestically.  It can mean the difference of annual payments of $1300 for the generic product vs. $400 for the brand name.

Source data: PharmacyChecker.com Lipitor Price Comparisons

For more see our press release from yesterday: Generic Lipitor Still More Expensive Than Brand Name Lipitor in Other Countries

Share
Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

Pfizer Protects Profits Against Generic Lipitor Through Behind the Scene Deals with PBMs

Our last post highlighted the end-of-the-month release of the long-awaited generic version of Lipitor, the most popular cholesterol-lowering drug in America. Brand-name Lipitor, manufactured by drug giant Pfizer, has been one of the key contributors to American’s high drug bills for the past 15 years. A generic version will mean massive savings for some and basic affordability for many.

Last week, however, the New York Times shared that Pfizer (unsurprisingly) wants to block access to that affordable generic. Pfizer is going to offer “large discounts for benefit managers that block the use of generic versions of Lipitor” – “When patients submit a prescription for a generic version of Lipitor, they are to be given Lipitor instead.” So, those covered by the benefit managers who accept the discount will end up paying the same high co-pay, despite the availability of a lower priced drug!

These tactics by the largest drug manufacturer to keep drug prices higher are disappointing but not surprising. After all, in addition to lobbying the U.S. government to prevent safe personal drug importation, it funds programs to scare Americans away from buying its own medication at a lower price from Canada and other countries.

Pfizer’s latest move seems to only affect Americans with health insurance who, under the Pfizer/benefit manager deal, would pay $25 monthly co-pays (instead of $10 per month) – that’s $75 for a three month supply. That’s a stark contrast to Americans without health insurance who can pay $535.00 at a local CVS in New York City. By comparing prices of verified online pharmacies at PharmacyChecker.com, the uninsured may at least knock their monthly brand name Lipitor costs to $85.70.

Fortunately, due to the economics of generic drug competition, generic Lipitor prices will eventually offer great savings to the uninsured and we’ll be keeping you updated as those new products come to market.

Share
Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,