Buffalo, N.Y (WBEN) - Amazon continues to make large waves in the pharmaceutical space by offering RxPass, which offers patients access to commonly prescribed generic medications to their Prime members at a cost of $5 a month.
"[There's] certainly going to be pros and cons to this service," says Dr. Joseph Chow, Regional Medical Director of WNY Immediate Care. "If they can offer prescriptions at a low cost, specifically with the generic medications, as well as making sure that people get the medications on a regular basis, I think that's definitely a plus for patients. If you have medications that require a lot of changing or if there's questions that patients have, I think certainly many patients want to have that relationship with a pharmacist where they can ask the questions, see them, talk to them, so that's an area where this may not work so well."
Don Arthur, Pharmacist and Owner of Brighton Eggert Pharmacy believes that this service will have little to no effect for Western New Yorkers. "People who live in Western New York, for the most part, have prescription benefit with their health insurance coverage. They may have an out of pocket expense or co-payment for generic medicines. Usually, depending on the individual's benefit, this comes with a low co-payment. In some cases, zero, in some cases, $5, $10, $15 or $20. In Western New York, I really don't see Amazon's program of being of much value to people because it's a very small percentage of people who actually do not have any prescription coverage at all."
Arthur also notes he does not think the Amazon service will be a big draw for those who are uninsured. Most generic medicines today are already relatively cheap in our nation, he says.
"There's such a huge price differential in our country, between brand name medications and generic medications. Those patients in Western New York, that unfortunately, do not have a prescription writer, probably 90% of the medicines that they may need in their lives will fortunately be available generically and the average cost of a generic prescription today is less than $10," Arthur says.
Arthur also highlights another potential issue with receiving medications via online or multiple locations. "I think it's important you receive all your medications from one pharmacy because it's the only way, for a pharmacist and pharmacy to be able to counsel you appropriately knowing all of your medications. If you start to pick up medications at different outlets, it's difficult for the pharmacist, who's overseeing all of the medications you're on. Every time you receive a new medication, they're taking the time to make sure that there is not any drug interactions between the new medication and medication you're currently on."
Also, weather affects delivery. You may potentially be waiting to receive your important medication in the mailbox. "We're open on Christmas for just a few short hours because unfortunately, things happen on Christmas and we're there to help patients with acute needs that may be coming over from us from an emergency room hospital or Urgent Care, so we're there for that. You're not going to find that service through a mail order component, which is basically what Amazon is," Arthur notes.
In a nation with healthcare costs rising at alarming rates, Arthur says there appear to be many alternatives in regards lowering to prescription costs, but with trial comes error. "We are concerned as independent community pharmacies, about the cost of prescription medications, but these new programs that appear on the surface to provide financial benefit to patients, come with costs and in my opinion, they also come with risk."