PharmacyChecker Data Shows Top Medications Shopped for Savings
WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — JULY 9, 2007 —An analysis of hundreds of thousands of online searches for drug prices made on the website PharmacyChecker.com this year found that drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) were among those most often checked. In fact, all three major ED drugs, Viagra (Pfizer), Cialis (Lilly), and Levitra (GSK/Bayer), ranked in the top 10 out of nearly 9,000 medications for which consumers searched.
Although savings of up to 40% are possible by shopping online for ED drugs, even greater savings, about 66% on average, is available for most other popular brand name drugs. PharmacyChecker.com's president, Tod Cooperman, MD, speculated, "The amazing popularity of the ED drugs in online searches is probably driven by a combination of factors. First, these are among the most expensive pills to buy — about $10 to $16 each — but are often not covered by insurance, so it's very worthwhile to price-comparison shop. Second, the anonymity offered by the web spares the embarrassment some men feel going into their local pharmacy to check prices and purchase ED products."
"It is a buyer beware situation for consumers looking for drugs on the Internet," said Dr. Tod Cooperman, MD, president of PharmacyChecker.com. "We are glad that we can help consumers identify legitimate pharmacies." None of the twenty-four websites cited by the FDA for potential counterfeiting were members of the PharmacyChecker.com program.
PharmacyChecker verifies that a website fills orders with a licensed pharmacy, requires a valid prescription, uses secure transaction technology, publishes a privacy policy, and gives a correct address and phone information. PharmacyChecker also conducts mystery shopping and periodic license checks to monitor compliance. More information about the program and an image of the seal is found at www.pharmacychecker.com/sealprogram/choose/
After drugs for erectile dysfunction, cholesterol-lowering products were the most searched drugs, with Lipitor leading the group as it has since 2004.
Some of the biggest changes in search popularity since last year were seen with Levitra, which moved to 8th position from 26th, Propecia (Merck) a hair-growth drug, which moved up to 7th position from 16th, and Lexapro (Forrest), which moved from 15th to 10th to became the most searched for anti-depressant, replacing Zoloft (Pfizer) which was ranked 6th last year and is now 13th. No generic drug made the top 10, but fluoxetine (the generic form of Prozac) was number 12.
Despite many recent news reports about controlled substances being sold online, only one controlled substance was in the top 50 most searched drugs — Ambien (Sanofi Aventis). It ranked number 44, down from 35 in 2006. The next most searched controlled substance was the diet drug Phentermine, ranked 53 this year, moving up from 83 in 2006.
| Top 10 Drug Price Searches on PharmacyChecker.com in 2007 (January 1 to June 19, 2007) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 Rank (Searches per Thousand Drug Searches) | 2006 Rank | Name Condition Treated (Manufacturer) |
Lowest Price on PharmacyChecker.com (strength, # units) | Highest Price on PharmacyChecker.com | Potential Savings Online | ||||||
| 1 | (21) | 1 | Lipitor Cholesterol-reducer (Pfizer) |
$119.00 (20mg, 100 pills) | $406.00 (20mg, 100 pills) | 71% | |||||
| 2 | (20) | 2 | Viagra Erectile Dysfunction (Pfizer) |
$109.99 (100mg, 12 pills) | $164.99 (100mg, 12 pills) | 35% | |||||
| 3 | (15) | 5 | Cialis Erectile Dysfunction (Lilly) |
$138.21 (20mg, 12 pills) | $233.99 (20mg, 12 pills) | 41% | |||||
| 4 | (13) | 3 | Advair Diskus Asthma Medication (Glaxo Smith Kline) |
$185.00 (250/50, 180) | $630.00 (250/50, 180) | 71% | |||||
| 5 | (10) | 7 | Nexium Acid Reflux (Astra-Zeneca) |
$170.10 (40mg, 90) | $471.00 (40mg, 90) | 64% | |||||
| 6 | (9) | 8 | Fosamax Osteoporosis (Merck) |
$84.84 (70mg, 12) | $263.00 (70mg, 12) | 68% | |||||
| 7 | (8) | 16 | Propecia Male Pattern Baldness (Merck) |
$158.00 (1mg, 100) | $367.00 (1mg, 100) | 57% | |||||
| 8 | (8) | 26 | Levitra Erectile Dysfunction (Bayer) |
$188.00 (20mg, 20) | $294.99 (20mg, 20) | 36% | |||||
| 9 | (7) | 4 | Zocor Cholesterol-reducer (Merck) |
$101.00 (20mg, 100) | $514.99 (20mg, 100) | 80% | |||||
| 10 | (7) | 15 | Lexapro Depressive and Anxiety disorders (Forest Laboratories) |
$124.00 (10mg, 100) | $253.47 (10mg, 100) | 51% | |||||
Dr. Cooperman cautioned, "Consumers should shop carefully online. All online pharmacies listed on PharmacyChecker.com have had their licenses verified and are approved members of the PharmacyChecker.com Verification Program." This program is also used by major search engines to qualify their pharmacy advertisers.
PharmacyChecker.com is a privately held company based in New York. It has no ownership in or from companies that sell or distribute pharmacy products. The company also operates www.MedicareDrugPlans.com where seniors can compare, rate, and review Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. PharmacyChecker.com drug search reports are available for purchase. Gabriel Levitt at glevitt@pharmacychecker.com or 718-387-4526.
