Sam's Club expands $4/$10 program with five free generics

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam’s Club on Thursday expanded its prescription savings program to offer five generic prescriptions for free in 35 states, including donepezil, vitamin D 50,000 IU, pioglitazone, finasteride and escitalopram. This new benefit is part of Sam’s Club Extra Value Drug List, through which Sam’s Club Plus and Business Plus members also receive 10%-30% savings on select brand name medications. 

 

Sam's Club will begin a marketing campaign in support of the new prescription savings program "FreeRx" this spring. 

 

"The reason we picked these five drugs is because these are some of the disease states that affect our members most," Jill Turner-Mitchael, SVP Sam's Club Health and wellness, told Drug Store News. These medications are indicated for treatment of Alzheimer’s, diabetes, enlargement of the prostate gland and generalized anxiety disorder, she said, and are "not your typical drugs that you see most people give away for free."

 

In those states where these medicines cannot be offered free of charge, they will be available at a discounted cost of $4.  

 

“Sam’s Club is always looking for ways to help improve the health of our communities and provide exceptional value to our members,” Turner-Mitchael said. “That’s why we created an extensive list of prescriptions to offer at substantial savings to our Plus and Business Plus members, especially those who are under or uninsured. It’s part of our ongoing commitment to making health care more accessible and affordable.”

 

Sam's Club has also added a significant number of medications to its $4/$10 program, Turner-Mitchael said. "There are over 200 drugs that'll be on [the $4] program as well as a little over 400 drugs that will be on the $10 program, making both of those [programs] a lot more robust."

 

Members with an active Plus membership can use the prescription discount benefit by presenting their Plus membership card along with a valid prescription at participating Sam’s Club pharmacies. Many other health and wellness benefits are available to Plus members, including up to 40% savings on certain generic prescriptions and up to 8% on name brand prescriptions that are not part of the EVDL program when paying without insurance, $50 off frames with the purchase of a year’s supply of contact lenses and 8% off pet medications.