By Nathan Duke
Gioia said the report, which was released in February 2004, found that a number of city pharmacies were gouging prices on many highly used prescription drugs. The report showed that the price for one drug differed by $50 at two different city pharmacies and that less than half of the 90 city pharmacies studied carried weekly updates of the Drug Retail Price List, which is required by state law. Only 25 percent of Queens pharmacies had updated lists at the time of the study, giving it the lowest percentage of all five boroughs, the report said. Additionally, employees at 26 percent of the pharmacies studied refused to disclose the suggested retail price for prescription drugs over the phone, Gioia said.Gioia said the new Web site will provide updated information on the current cost of about 150 widely used prescription drugs and the amount charged by pharmacies throughout the city and state, allowing consumers to compare prices.”At a time when Americans are flocking to Canada for cheap prescription drugs, New Yorkers could be saving more than 40 percent on their prescription drug purchases just by traveling to a different borough,” Gioia said. “By posting drug prices from pharmacies online, we'll make it possible for New Yorkers to find the lowest cost for their prescriptions in seconds. And making this information public will create a more competitive market, keeping prices low for residents throughout our great city.”He said senior citizens with arthritis, high cholesterol, hypertension or gastric acid disorder could save up to $2,600 per year by shopping around for prescription drugs, based on price gouging discovered during the study.Reach reporter Nathan Duke by email at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
