BC FORUM News

New web based service could point you to significant savings on prescription drugs

The Advocate, March 2013 - Pacific Blue Cross has launched a new service – called Pharmacy compass – that could save you a considerable amount of money on prescription drugs.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Canadians spent $26.1 billion on prescription drugs in 2010, including $4.6 billion out-of-pocket. And the cost of prescription drugs is the fastest growing component of our health care system.

Pacific Blue Cross says smart shopping can save us a lot of money as individuals, and save our health care system billions of dollars. The company adds that all British Columbians deserve to have access to affordable health care and prescription drugs.

Recognizing that it’s difficult for individuals to do comparison shopping for prescriptions – drug prices and dispensing fees are not features you usually find in drug store sale flyers – Pacific Blue Cross has developed a free, interactive web-based tool to help you find the best value for your money.

Accessible via computer, smartphone or tablet, Pharmacy compass allows you to compare prices at different pharmacies in your community, and thereby helps you to lower your out-of-pocket costs.

In an example provided by Pacific Blue Cross, Tania, a 54 year old mother and wife who takes Lipitor to lower cholesterol levels, found that she can save $62.81 a month by switching to another pharmacy and a generic version of the drug. She had been paying a total of $85.60 for a month’s supply of 20g brand name Lipitor – 30 tablets at $2.50 each, plus a $10.60 dispensing fee.

After Tania researched the alternatives on Pharmacy compass, she is now paying a total of $22.79 a month for 20g generic Lipitor – 30 tablets at $0.61 each, plus a $4.49 dispensing fee.

To see if using this tool will save you money, visit www.pharmacy compass.ca.