Amazon Pharmacy

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SlowMovingInvestor
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Amazon Pharmacy

Post by SlowMovingInvestor »

Amazon announced pharmacy services, although it's not really new, it seems like they've been fulfilling prescriptions for a while.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/17/amazon- ... mbers.html

Has anyone used them ? if so, how do their prices/co-pays compare to Costco/other chains ?

I'm not sure I would use them anyway, because I'm concerned about giving Amazon too much information, but it would be useful to know if they're the cost leaders, as they normally are.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Pinenut »

Amazon acquired PillPack a couple of years ago and has been operating as PillPack. I believe that service still exists and offers adherence or strip packaging where medications are prepacked together based on adminstration times. A long-term care model brought to the masses.

It looks like Amazon Pharmacy will be dispensing in a more traditional fashion and looking to undercut Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) which, if it works, is IMHO very welcome in the current healthcare environment. Effectively becoming a pseudo-PBM for overcharged insurees or folks without prescription coverage. Initially, PBMs acted as middlemen to help process pharmacy claims and over time have leveraged that position into basically controlling what doctors can dispense to patients. By regulating formulary, rebates and charging processing/admin fees they are generating BILLIONS in revenue with virtually no oversight.

The top 3 PBMs in the US control ~80% of dispense medication. CVS/Caremark, OptumRX and ExpressScripts. As a non-retail Pharmacist I look forward to seeing what this does to the landscape. Retail pharmacy work conditions have been a race to the bottom for a long time now. I feel for the employees as I once was one. I hope this terrifies the evil three letter company, but I worry they will just keep driving down costs at the expense of their employees. We really need legislation to protect pharmacists and the public from their employers. Overworked, understaffed, rushed pharmacists make mistakes, they have to worry about being robbed, meeting metrics and maintain integrity of the healthcare chain. An increasingly impossible job at retail chains. I hope AI can be of more service soon but it's expensive under current practices for individual pharmacies and Amazon is likely the best place to handle such technology.

P.S. You don't leave McDonalds without making sure the food is right. Please compare the prescribed drug name and strength to the bottle and verify that the tablets/capsules match the description on your vial label. Many med errors would be prevented if everyone did this.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by mhc »

I've been considering this. Mail order medications have been around for a long time.

Based on the article you linked, it seems like one should check the price with and without insurance to see which is less expensive.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by VictoriaF »

I read some comments to Doctor of Credit's article about Amazon pharmacy. Some people are concerned about Amazon's privacy and about the quality of drugs. I am using an online pharmacy Valisure, https://www.valisure.com/ , because they test every batch of drugs. I am paying more than I would at CVS for a greater assurance of quality.

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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by jebmke »

mhc wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:13 am I've been considering this. Mail order medications have been around for a long time.

Based on the article you linked, it seems like one should check the price with and without insurance to see which is less expensive.
This is one thing my CVS pharmacist does for me. Has various discount plan info (Goodrx and others) and will always check for the best deal. Drive through window. I rarely use any Rx so it is a moot point for me anyway. 90% of the time it is an anti-biotic that needs to be started right away. I doubt AMZ will make much sense for me. Could be good for maintenance drugs if ever needed and the prices is right.
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SlowMovingInvestor
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by SlowMovingInvestor »

mhc wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:13 am I've been considering this. Mail order medications have been around for a long time.

Based on the article you linked, it seems like one should check the price with and without insurance to see which is less expensive.
To do that, one has to sign up for the plan. And that means giving them insurance and SS#, which I am reluctant to do unless they are really significantly cheaper than other mail order pharmacies.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by ResearchMed »

mhc wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:13 am I've been considering this. Mail order medications have been around for a long time.

Based on the article you linked, it seems like one should check the price with and without insurance to see which is less expensive.
For anyone who expects to hit their annual Out Of Pocket Maximum, keep in mind that any co-pay would then be zero. Rx costs paid in cash wouldn't be included either in the "free" after max was reached, or in the total to hit that maximum.

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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by wfrobinette »

SlowMovingInvestor wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:50 am
mhc wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:13 am I've been considering this. Mail order medications have been around for a long time.

Based on the article you linked, it seems like one should check the price with and without insurance to see which is less expensive.
To do that, one has to sign up for the plan. And that means giving them insurance and SS#, which I am reluctant to do unless they are really significantly cheaper than other mail order pharmacies.
And you trust the other Mail orders more than Amazon?

Are you sure on SS#?
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Farmboyslim83 »

Good review by Adam Fein:

www.drugchannels.net
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Seasonal »

It would be nice if Amazon showed pricing without signing up and providing personal info.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by JoeRetire »

Seasonal wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:44 am It would be nice if Amazon showed pricing without signing up and providing personal info.
They can't do that unless they choose to ignore your insurance benefit program.
Perhaps they will go that way some day, but not right now.
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SlowMovingInvestor
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by SlowMovingInvestor »

wfrobinette wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:17 am
SlowMovingInvestor wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:50 am
mhc wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:13 am I've been considering this. Mail order medications have been around for a long time.

Based on the article you linked, it seems like one should check the price with and without insurance to see which is less expensive.
To do that, one has to sign up for the plan. And that means giving them insurance and SS#, which I am reluctant to do unless they are really significantly cheaper than other mail order pharmacies.
And you trust the other Mail orders more than Amazon?

Are you sure on SS#?
It asked me for SS when I tried to sign up. I just wanted to know cost without insurance, which shouldn't require all this info until I order.

Other mail orders (my insurance company has mail order pharma) don't have information on my other purchasing habits the way Amazon does. I don't want to give Amazon that information too -- they already have too much information about me, and are far more digitally savvy than other pharma providers.
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SlowMovingInvestor
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by SlowMovingInvestor »

JoeRetire wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:55 am
Seasonal wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:44 am It would be nice if Amazon showed pricing without signing up and providing personal info.
They can't do that unless they choose to ignore your insurance benefit program.
Perhaps they will go that way some day, but not right now.
GoodRx can do it, why not Amazon ? It's cash price.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Seasonal »

JoeRetire wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:55 am
Seasonal wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:44 am It would be nice if Amazon showed pricing without signing up and providing personal info.
They can't do that unless they choose to ignore your insurance benefit program.
Perhaps they will go that way some day, but not right now.
That's what I want - pricing data without regard for an insurance benefit program.

Costco provides pricing data without info on your insurance benefit program. GoodRx provides pricing data by pharmacy.

I see others have posted similar responses.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by JoeRetire »

SlowMovingInvestor wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:58 am
JoeRetire wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:55 am
Seasonal wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:44 am It would be nice if Amazon showed pricing without signing up and providing personal info.
They can't do that unless they choose to ignore your insurance benefit program.
Perhaps they will go that way some day, but not right now.
GoodRx can do it, why not Amazon ? It's cash price.
As I wrote, they chose not to ignore insurance benefit programs. Perhaps that choice will change at some point in time.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by squirm »

Pinenut wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:03 am Amazon acquired PillPack a couple of years ago and has been operating as PillPack. I believe that service still exists and offers adherence or strip packaging where medications are prepacked together based on adminstration times. A long-term care model brought to the masses.

It looks like Amazon Pharmacy will be dispensing in a more traditional fashion and looking to undercut Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) which, if it works, is IMHO very welcome in the current healthcare environment. Effectively becoming a pseudo-PBM for overcharged insurees or folks without prescription coverage. Initially, PBMs acted as middlemen to help process pharmacy claims and over time have leveraged that position into basically controlling what doctors can dispense to patients. By regulating formulary, rebates and charging processing/admin fees they are generating BILLIONS in revenue with virtually no oversight.

The top 3 PBMs in the US control ~80% of dispense medication. CVS/Caremark, OptumRX and ExpressScripts. As a non-retail Pharmacist I look forward to seeing what this does to the landscape. Retail pharmacy work conditions have been a race to the bottom for a long time now. I feel for the employees as I once was one. I hope this terrifies the evil three letter company, but I worry they will just keep driving down costs at the expense of their employees. We really need legislation to protect pharmacists and the public from their employers. Overworked, understaffed, rushed pharmacists make mistakes, they have to worry about being robbed, meeting metrics and maintain integrity of the healthcare chain. An increasingly impossible job at retail chains. I hope AI can be of more service soon but it's expensive under current practices for individual pharmacies and Amazon is likely the best place to handle such technology.

P.S. You don't leave McDonalds without making sure the food is right. Please compare the prescribed drug name and strength to the bottle and verify that the tablets/capsules match the description on your vial label. Many med errors would be prevented if everyone did this.
Awesome information, thanks!
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by tj »

SlowMovingInvestor wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:58 am
JoeRetire wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:55 am
Seasonal wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 11:44 am It would be nice if Amazon showed pricing without signing up and providing personal info.
They can't do that unless they choose to ignore your insurance benefit program.
Perhaps they will go that way some day, but not right now.
GoodRx can do it, why not Amazon ? It's cash price.
Looks like they do now:

http://amazon.com/primerx
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Cruise »

Just FYI, Amazon will not sell you medications if you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare:

https://www.amazon.com/primerx/terms/re ... rd_i=prx-4

“If you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or other state- or federal-funded health care programs, you are not eligible to use the Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit for the purchases of featured medication, even if you elect to process the prescription outside of the benefit, as an uninsured (cash-paying) patient.”
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by tj »

Cruise wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 3:21 am Just FYI, Amazon will not sell you medications if you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare:

https://www.amazon.com/primerx/terms/re ... rd_i=prx-4

“If you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or other state- or federal-funded health care programs, you are not eligible to use the Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit for the purchases of featured medication, even if you elect to process the prescription outside of the benefit, as an uninsured (cash-paying) patient.”
I wonder if that includes FEHB and state-employee health care plans.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by tooluser »

Somewhat related: The best thing you can do to keep track of your medications (even if you are only on one) is to buy a 7-day pillbox and use it. I knew someone who refused to do so, and would often skip or double-up on doses. With a pill box, you can immediately see which medications you have taken or not taken. There is never any doubt, assuming you filled it correctly in the first place (choose one day of the week to do so).
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by stan1 »

If anyone is using Amazon Pharmacy -- how do they ship?
Do they ship through their Amazon branded fleet along with other Amazon purchases, USPS, other?
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by nisiprius »

stan1 wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 4:14 pm If anyone is using Amazon Pharmacy -- how do they ship?
Do they ship through their Amazon branded fleet along with other Amazon purchases, USPS, other?
No, they do not use their own fleet and it's not coming from an Amazon warehouse--at least not the one eight miles from me.

I'm sorry, I didn't think to save the package so I don't know the carrier. I am thinking either UPS or Mail Innovations (UPS+USPS-last-mile hybrid). The label on the package indicated shipping from some random place a thousand miles away.

I use it for one drug. It seems about the same as other mail-order pharmacies I've used. The price for this particular drug is $18 from Amazon, $45 with my current part D insurance, and prices with insurance ranging from $40 to $75 on all of next year's part D plans.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by sport »

Cruise wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 3:21 am “If you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or other state- or federal-funded health care programs, you are not eligible to use the Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit for the purchases of featured medication, even if you elect to process the prescription outside of the benefit, as an uninsured (cash-paying) patient.”
nisiprius wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 4:24 pm The price for this particular drug is $18 from Amazon, $45 with my current part D insurance, and prices with insurance ranging from $40 to $75 on all of next year's part D plans.
nisiprius,
It seems you might have a problem. You are obviously covered by Medicare and Amazon says you are "not eligible". Perhaps I am missing something.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by CFM300 »

You don't have to order from Amazon to get the low prices from Amazon. Lots of major pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, Costco, etc.) will give you the Amazon price if you're an Amazon Prime member.

https://www.amazon.com/primerx/participatingpharmacies
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by nisiprius »

sport wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 7:35 pm...It seems you might have a problem. You are obviously covered by Medicare and Amazon says you are "not eligible".
Amazon says I'm eligible, all right. It's just that the cost of the drug is $18 from Amazon without insurance; $70 from Amazon using my current insurance; and $45 from my in-network "preferred provider" drugstore using my current insurance.
CFM300 wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 8:44 pm You don't have to order from Amazon to get the low prices from Amazon. Lots of major pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, Costco, etc.) will give you the Amazon price if you're an Amazon Prime member.

https://www.amazon.com/primerx/participatingpharmacies
I didn't know that, I will be following up on that.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Cruise »

SlowMovingInvestor wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:53 am Amazon announced pharmacy services, although it's not really new, it seems like they've been fulfilling prescriptions for a while.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/17/amazon- ... mbers.html

Has anyone used them ? if so, how do their prices/co-pays compare to Costco/other chains ?

I'm not sure I would use them anyway, because I'm concerned about giving Amazon too much information, but it would be useful to know if they're the cost leaders, as they normally are.
I am so thankful that you started this thread. I used the Amazon benefit to refill a prescription at Costco pharmacy that otherwise is not covered by insurance. I had been paying about $43 for a month's supply, but today's charge was $8.02 after the Prime Prescription benefit was added to my account.

I should note that no one asked if I was covered by Medicare, so whatever regulations may or may not be relevant, the issue was not addressed in my Costco transaction.

BH and its participants offer actionable advice! Thanks again!
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by lthenderson »

There has been lots of studies and research on mail order drug problems over the years including medicines that were exposed to extreme temperatures to the point they lost some of their effectiveness to wrong doses to wrong medicines entirely. Mail order drug companies often price shop manufacturers which can then expose you to unsavory practices like the Irbesartan recall. I would do my research of where any drugs I'm taking are obtained by mail order companies before making a decision.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by tj »

lthenderson wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:46 pm There has been lots of studies and research on mail order drug problems over the years including medicines that were exposed to extreme temperatures to the point they lost some of their effectiveness to wrong doses to wrong medicines entirely. Mail order drug companies often price shop manufacturers which can then expose you to unsavory practices like the Irbesartan recall. I would do my research of where any drugs I'm taking are obtained by mail order companies before making a decision.
Aren't most of the meds in a pharmacy shipped on a truck to the store?
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Nate79 »

Not sure why I should trust any local chain store pharmacy vs a mail order. The pharmacies around here look over worked, hectic messes.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by RXfiles »

Nate79 wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:03 pm Not sure why I should trust any local chain store pharmacy vs a mail order. The pharmacies around here look over worked, hectic messes.
Former chain pharmacist. They are. Amazon will be too. Most likely worse. Try to to go to an independent if your insurance allows it.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Cruise »

lthenderson wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:46 pm There has been lots of studies and research on mail order drug problems over the years including medicines that were exposed to extreme temperatures to the point they lost some of their effectiveness to wrong doses to wrong medicines entirely. Mail order drug companies often price shop manufacturers which can then expose you to unsavory practices like the Irbesartan recall. I would do my research of where any drugs I'm taking are obtained by mail order companies before making a decision.
I get my mail order pharmaceuticals from a distribution center around 15 miles from my house. I'm wondering whether I should be worried?
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by egrets »

Retired CPA wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:30 am Make sure you know who the manufacturer is of the particular generic drug you are ordering. The difference among manufacturers can be significant in terms of actual side effects to the patient.
Yes, I get a generic at CVS for a heart med, because the one Walgreen's sells makes my chest hurt. Gah. Moderators note this is not a medical question.

It says in my prescription bottles who the manufacturer is, although it may be an abbreviation.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by egrets »

RXfiles wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:44 pm
Nate79 wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:03 pm Not sure why I should trust any local chain store pharmacy vs a mail order. The pharmacies around here look over worked, hectic messes.
Former chain pharmacist. They are. Amazon will be too. Most likely worse. Try to to go to an independent if your insurance allows it.
I wish we had an independent pharmacy near where I live. Walgreens has gotten unbelievably bad.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by lthenderson »

tj wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:56 pm
lthenderson wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:46 pm There has been lots of studies and research on mail order drug problems over the years including medicines that were exposed to extreme temperatures to the point they lost some of their effectiveness to wrong doses to wrong medicines entirely. Mail order drug companies often price shop manufacturers which can then expose you to unsavory practices like the Irbesartan recall. I would do my research of where any drugs I'm taking are obtained by mail order companies before making a decision.
Aren't most of the meds in a pharmacy shipped on a truck to the store?
In the final leg, yes. But what about the container ship from India that has been sitting in a port for three months waiting to get offloaded? China is also a major exporter of drugs to the U.S.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by lthenderson »

Cruise wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 9:21 pm
lthenderson wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:46 pm There has been lots of studies and research on mail order drug problems over the years including medicines that were exposed to extreme temperatures to the point they lost some of their effectiveness to wrong doses to wrong medicines entirely. Mail order drug companies often price shop manufacturers which can then expose you to unsavory practices like the Irbesartan recall. I would do my research of where any drugs I'm taking are obtained by mail order companies before making a decision.
I get my mail order pharmaceuticals from a distribution center around 15 miles from my house. I'm wondering whether I should be worried?
Hard to say without doing your own research. My spouse is a medical doctor and has had problems in the past with patients having drugs recalled, nearly all were made in one of two countries, a long way from our borders. Almost all of them were using mail order drugs. Mail order drug distributers can price shop for each individual drug where as the local Pharmacy probably orders all their drugs from a single supplier. Single suppliers generally have a reputation to uphold to stay in business where as a lab on the backside of our planet cranking out a single drug does doesn't. It doesn't mean that some of those bad drugs don't get distributed to local Pharmacies, but I suspect the odds are much less. All this is anecdotal which is why I suggest everyone should do their due diligence to see where their particular drugs are coming from.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by ResearchMed »

lthenderson wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:36 am
tj wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:56 pm
lthenderson wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:46 pm There has been lots of studies and research on mail order drug problems over the years including medicines that were exposed to extreme temperatures to the point they lost some of their effectiveness to wrong doses to wrong medicines entirely. Mail order drug companies often price shop manufacturers which can then expose you to unsavory practices like the Irbesartan recall. I would do my research of where any drugs I'm taking are obtained by mail order companies before making a decision.
Aren't most of the meds in a pharmacy shipped on a truck to the store?
In the final leg, yes. But what about the container ship from India that has been sitting in a port for three months waiting to get offloaded? China is also a major exporter of drugs to the U.S.
What is the "fix" for this?
For the most part, there aren't similar/identical meds that are still made in the USA so that the shipping could be avoided.

Wouldn't some of this have been an issue for some time?
The extra time in the container ship parking lot may not make all that much difference by that point (but I am not sure about that, and it may vary, of course).

RM
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Sandtrap »

Cruise wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 3:21 am Just FYI, Amazon will not sell you medications if you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare:

https://www.amazon.com/primerx/terms/re ... rd_i=prx-4

“If you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or other state- or federal-funded health care programs, you are not eligible to use the Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit for the purchases of featured medication, even if you elect to process the prescription outside of the benefit, as an uninsured (cash-paying) patient.”
I didn't know this.

Huge thanks!
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by lthenderson »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:46 am What is the "fix" for this?
For the most part, there aren't similar/identical meds that are still made in the USA so that the shipping could be avoided.

Wouldn't some of this have been an issue for some time?
The extra time in the container ship parking lot may not make all that much difference by that point (but I am not sure about that, and it may vary, of course).

RM
I don't know a fix other than a general understanding of where any medication is manufactured. Without being too specific and offending other nationalities present on here, I know if I were using a drug made in a half dozen different countries, there would be a couple countries I would avoid just based on past recalls. Generally all this is for unpatented (generic) drugs that can be made by anyone looking to make money. I probably wouldn't be so worried by a company that owns the patent and presumably tightly controls the manufacturer of it.

From my reading, the issue of effectiveness due to temperature extremes is a fairly recent phenomena due to our increasingly global supply chain. Previously, it probably still occurred but happened on such small scales that it never a statistical concern.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by sport »

I recently had a problem with a prescription drug that did not work for me. It had worked in the past. I asked the pharmacy for the same drug made by a different company. That one worked fine and solved my problem. Both came from the same country on the other side of the world. Perhaps the one that did not work was "cooked" during transit. Something to be aware of.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by pshonore »

So the little blue card and keytag card Amazon sent me are no good? (Since I'm on Medicare).
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by sport »

What is the reason that Medicare recipients are not eligible for Amazon pricing? Similarly, all the drug manufacturer's discount coupons?
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Cruise »

Cruise wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:03 pm I am so thankful that you started this thread. I used the Amazon benefit to refill a prescription at Costco pharmacy that otherwise is not covered by insurance. I had been paying about $43 for a month's supply, but today's charge was $8.02 after the Prime Prescription benefit was added to my account.

I should note that no one asked if I was covered by Medicare, so whatever regulations may or may not be relevant, the issue was not addressed in my Costco transaction.

BH and its participants offer actionable advice! Thanks again!
Sandtrap wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:52 am
Cruise wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 3:21 am Just FYI, Amazon will not sell you medications if you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare:

https://www.amazon.com/primerx/terms/re ... rd_i=prx-4

“If you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or other state- or federal-funded health care programs, you are not eligible to use the Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit for the purchases of featured medication, even if you elect to process the prescription outside of the benefit, as an uninsured (cash-paying) patient.”
I didn't know this.

Huge thanks!
j :D
sport wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:46 am What is the reason that Medicare recipients are not eligible for Amazon pricing? Similarly, all the drug manufacturer's discount coupons?
See my post above---at least with local my Costco, I got the Prime discount despite obviously being of Medicare age.. Don't Ask, Don't Tell!
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ResearchMed
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by ResearchMed »

Cruise wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 4:56 pm
Cruise wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:03 pm I am so thankful that you started this thread. I used the Amazon benefit to refill a prescription at Costco pharmacy that otherwise is not covered by insurance. I had been paying about $43 for a month's supply, but today's charge was $8.02 after the Prime Prescription benefit was added to my account.

I should note that no one asked if I was covered by Medicare, so whatever regulations may or may not be relevant, the issue was not addressed in my Costco transaction.

BH and its participants offer actionable advice! Thanks again!
Sandtrap wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:52 am
Cruise wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 3:21 am Just FYI, Amazon will not sell you medications if you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare:

https://www.amazon.com/primerx/terms/re ... rd_i=prx-4

“If you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or other state- or federal-funded health care programs, you are not eligible to use the Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit for the purchases of featured medication, even if you elect to process the prescription outside of the benefit, as an uninsured (cash-paying) patient.”
I didn't know this.

Huge thanks!
j :D
sport wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:46 am What is the reason that Medicare recipients are not eligible for Amazon pricing? Similarly, all the drug manufacturer's discount coupons?
See my post above---at least with local my Costco, I got the Prime discount despite obviously being of Medicare age.. Don't Ask, Don't Tell!
[emphasis in red added]

I was looking into this, and I'm not sure which page during my ferreting around, but there seemed to be something like 10 (+/-) specific ("featured"?) meds that were not available for Medicare members. Worse, it seemed that anyone of Medicare age was considered in the excluded category. But it did not seem to apply to other meds. However, I didn't yet try to purchase anything.

RM
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runninginvestor
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by runninginvestor »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 5:04 pm
Cruise wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 4:56 pm
Cruise wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:03 pm I am so thankful that you started this thread. I used the Amazon benefit to refill a prescription at Costco pharmacy that otherwise is not covered by insurance. I had been paying about $43 for a month's supply, but today's charge was $8.02 after the Prime Prescription benefit was added to my account.

I should note that no one asked if I was covered by Medicare, so whatever regulations may or may not be relevant, the issue was not addressed in my Costco transaction.

BH and its participants offer actionable advice! Thanks again!
Sandtrap wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:52 am
Cruise wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 3:21 am Just FYI, Amazon will not sell you medications if you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare:

https://www.amazon.com/primerx/terms/re ... rd_i=prx-4

“If you are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or other state- or federal-funded health care programs, you are not eligible to use the Amazon Prime prescription savings benefit for the purchases of featured medication, even if you elect to process the prescription outside of the benefit, as an uninsured (cash-paying) patient.”
I didn't know this.

Huge thanks!
j :D
sport wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 10:46 am What is the reason that Medicare recipients are not eligible for Amazon pricing? Similarly, all the drug manufacturer's discount coupons?
See my post above---at least with local my Costco, I got the Prime discount despite obviously being of Medicare age.. Don't Ask, Don't Tell!
[emphasis in red added]

I was looking into this, and I'm not sure which page during my ferreting around, but there seemed to be something like 10 (+/-) specific ("featured"?) meds that were not available for Medicare members. Worse, it seemed that anyone of Medicare age was considered in the excluded category. But it did not seem to apply to other meds. However, I didn't yet try to purchase anything.

RM
https://www.amazon.com/primerx/discount ... rd_i=prx-5

I think this is the list of the drugs that are not eligible if you're over 65 and then separately if you are Medicare or similar eligible. I think these are the future drugs they are referring to after clicking around a bit.

Edit: in the previous link that user "cruise" posted to, at the very end, there's a link for more information and I think it takes you to the same page.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by LadyGeek »

I removed a 2020 post regarding various generic drug manufacturers (medical advice). As a reminder, see: Medical Issues
Questions on medical issues are beyond the scope of the forum. If you are looking for medical information online, I suggest you start with the Medical Library Association's User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web which, in addition to providing guidance on evaluating health information, includes a list of their top recommended sites.
FYI - This thread was started in 2020.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by tooluser »

To reiterate something alluded to above: You can ask your doctor to specify in the prescription that a certain manufacturer not be used, or that the pharmacy change your prescription to a different generic brand. The pharmacy will likely try to comply. I had my doctor do that once when the pharmacy switched generic brands and the new one didn't seem to work well. It was one of the big mail-order pharmacies, and they did switch brands, and it did work well again.
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Re: Amazon Pharmacy

Post by Cruise »

tooluser wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:01 pm To reiterate something alluded to above: You can ask your doctor to specify in the prescription that a certain manufacturer not be used, or that the pharmacy change your prescription to a different generic brand. The pharmacy will likely try to comply. I had my doctor do that once when the pharmacy switched generic brands and the new one didn't seem to work well. It was one of the big mail-order pharmacies, and they did switch brands, and it did work well again.
Same experience with Caremark when one generic pill left awful aftertaste.
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