Study: Online Pharmacy Programs Save Patients Millions on Prescription Drug Costs

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that patients in the U.S. could save millions of dollars by purchasing prescription drugs through online pharmacy discount programs like Amazon Pharmacy and GoodRx. The study compared the prices paid out of pocket for 20 commonly prescribed generic drugs with the prices advertised by discount pharmacy card programs. The analysis revealed that at least 1 out of 5 prescriptions were cheaper through these programs, with estimated potential savings of $969 million for Amazon Pharmacy users and $1.83 billion for GoodRx users. However, potential drawbacks include monthly prescription fees and the risk of drug-to-drug interactions due to "pharmacy shopping."