TY - JOUR
T1 - Retail cost of antiglaucoma drugs in two cities
AU - Ritch, Robert
AU - Hargett, Newell
AU - Podos, Steven
AU - Kass, Michael A.
AU - Becker, Bernard
N1 - Funding Information:
From the Departments of Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York, (Drs. Ritch, Hargett, and Podos), New York; and Washington University School of Medicine, (Drs. Kass and Becker) St. Louis, Missouri. This study was supported in part by Grants EY 02514 and EY 00336 from the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Ritch was an NIH (EY 05128) and a Heed Foundation Fellow (1977-1978). Dr. Hargett was a Fight for Sight, Inc., New York, Fellow (research grant F-302, in honor of Elsie K. Sloate). Reprint requests to Robert Ritch, M.D., Department of Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029.
PY - 1978/7
Y1 - 1978/7
N2 - Volunteer shoppers purchased antiglaucoma medications dispensed from prescriptions written according to generic and brand-name products in Manhattan and in the St. Louis area. All drugs obtained were more expensive in Manhattan than in St. Louis. No significant cost difference was found between generic and brand-name items in either city, but only in a few instances were generic drugs actually dispensed. No difference in overall price was found between pharmacies located in better and poorer neighborhoods in Manhattan or between pharmacies located in urban, suburban, or rural areas in St. Louis. A white shopper paid significantly lower retail prices than did a Hispanic shopper in Manhattan, particularly in better neighborhoods. The range of prices in each city for all drugs studied was greater than twofold. Pharmacies offering more patient services tended to charge higher prices, but frequently, pharmacies did not actually offer the services they advertised.
AB - Volunteer shoppers purchased antiglaucoma medications dispensed from prescriptions written according to generic and brand-name products in Manhattan and in the St. Louis area. All drugs obtained were more expensive in Manhattan than in St. Louis. No significant cost difference was found between generic and brand-name items in either city, but only in a few instances were generic drugs actually dispensed. No difference in overall price was found between pharmacies located in better and poorer neighborhoods in Manhattan or between pharmacies located in urban, suburban, or rural areas in St. Louis. A white shopper paid significantly lower retail prices than did a Hispanic shopper in Manhattan, particularly in better neighborhoods. The range of prices in each city for all drugs studied was greater than twofold. Pharmacies offering more patient services tended to charge higher prices, but frequently, pharmacies did not actually offer the services they advertised.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0017860784&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0002-9394(78)90004-1
DO - 10.1016/0002-9394(78)90004-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 677219
AN - SCOPUS:0017860784
SN - 0002-9394
VL - 86
SP - 1
EP - 7
JO - American journal of ophthalmology
JF - American journal of ophthalmology
IS - 1
ER -