The following is true according to Snopes:
hxxttp://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/generic.asp
This is worth reading. Be sure to read to the end. You will be amazed

(Embedded image moved to file: pic06334.jpg)

COSTCO, read this
Let's hear it for Costco!! (This is just mind-boggling!) Make sure
you read all the way past the list of the drugs The woman that signed
below is a Budget Analyst out of federal Washington, DC offices.

Did you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company for the active
ingredient in prescription medications? Some people think it must
cost a lot, since many drugs sell for more than $2.00 per tablet. We
did a search of offshore chemical synthesizers that supply the active
ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA. As we have revealed
in past issues of Life Extension, a significant percentage of drugs
sold in the United States contain active ingredients made in other
countries. In our independent investigation of how much profit drug
companies really make, we obtained the actual price of active
ingredients used in some of the most popular drugs sold in America

The data below speaks for itself.

Celebrex: 100 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.60
Percent markup: 21,712%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic26500.gif)

Claritin: 10 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71
Percent markup: 30,306%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic19169.jpg)

Keflex: 250 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $157.39
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.88
Percent markup: 8,372%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic15724.jpg)


Lipitor: 20 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $272.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $5.80
Percent markup: 4,696%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic11478.jpg)

Norvasc: 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $188.29
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.14
Percent markup: 134,493%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic29358.jpg)

Paxil: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $220.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $7.60
Percent markup: 2,898%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic26962.jpg)

Prevacid: 30 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $44.77
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.01
Percent markup: 34,136%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic24464.jpg)

Prilosec : 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $360.97
Cost of general active ingredients $0.52
Percent markup: 69,417%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic05705.jpg)


Prozac: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $247.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
Percent markup: 224,973%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic28145.jpg)

Tenormin: 50 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $104.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.13
Percent markup: 80,362%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic23281.jpg)


Vasotec: 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $102.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.20
Percent markup: 5 1,185%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic16827.jpg)

Xanax: 1 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $136.79
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
Percent markup: 569,958%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic09961.jpg)


Zestril: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) $89.89
Cost of general active ingredients $3.20
Percent markup: 2,809
(Embedded image moved to file: pic00491.jpg)

Zithromax: 600 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $1,482.19
Cost of general active ingredients: $18.78
Percent markup: 7,892%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic02995.jpg)

Zocor: 40 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $350.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $8.63
Percent markup: 4,059%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic11942.jpg)

Zoloft: 50 mg
Consumer price: $206.87
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.75
Percent markup: 11,821%
(Embedded image moved to file: pic04827.jpg)

Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I thought
everyone should know about this. Please read the following and pass
it on.
It pays to shop around. This helps to solve the mystery as to why
they can afford to put a Walgreen's on every corner. On Monday night,
Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for Channel 7 News in
Detroit, did a story on generic drug price gouging by pharmacies. He
found in his investigation, that some of these generic drugs were
marked up as much as 3,000% or more. Yes, that's not a typo.....three
thousand percent! So often, we blame the drug companies for the high
cost of drugs, and usually rightfully so. But in t his case, the
fault clearly lies with the pharmacies themselves. For example, if
you had to buy a prescription drug, and bought the name brand, you
might pay $100 for 100 pills.

The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic equivalent,
they would only cost $80, making you think you are 'saving' $20. What
the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic pills may
have only cost him $10!

At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson
whether, or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to this
practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little over
their cost for the generic drugs.
(Embedded image moved to file: pic05436.jpg)


I went to the Costco site, where you can look up any drug, and get
its online price. It says that the in-store prices are consistent
with the online prices. I was appalled. Just to give you one example
from my own experience, I had to use the drug, Compazine, which helps
prevent nausea in chemo patients.
(Embedded image moved to file: pic32391.jpg)

I used the generic equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS.
I checked the price at Costco, and I could have bought 100 pills for
$19.89. For 145 of my pain pills, I paid
$72.57. I could have got 150 at Costco for $28.08.

I would like to mention, that although Costco is a 'membership' type
store, you do NOT have to be a member to buy prescriptions there, as
it is a federally regulated substance. You just tell them at the door
that you wish to use the pharmacy, and they will let you in. (this is
true)

I went there this past Thursday and asked them. I am asking each of
you to please help me by copying this letter, and passing it into
your own e-mail, and send it to everyone you know with an e-mail
address.

Sharon L. Davis
Budget Analyst
U.S. Department of Commerce
Room 6839
Office Ph: 202-482-4458
Office Fax: 202-482-5480
E-mail Address: sdavis@doc.gov
(Embedded image moved to file: pic14604.gif)

The Walmart list is VERY limited (and don't u think that Walmart and Publix, who are VERY large conglomerates, are using this as an "advertising" gimmick)...and of course I checked it out..both when it started and recently....Costco is not a rip off, just because it doesn't offer limited $4 RX's..or a few free natibiotics from Publix...U got to do much better than that.....compare apples and oranges please..and do some REAL price shopping yourself and U will find out, ...I did!


BTW...Did U also know, for example , a CVS in Mass and a CVS in Florida will have completely different prices for the exact same drugs, doseage and quanity, and same manuafacturer....the Mass CVS will sell 3 same RX's for $150 each , while in SW Florida (not Haines city, U can have it there) , its $17 each... so these pharmacies charge whatever they want... and so do the pharmaceutical companies....along with doctors and health professionals...they're all crooks...but Costco , is the best RX deal going....

It is the same in Canada. I went to the dentist, with full coverage, and it cost me $120. I submitted the bill and got $60 back. My dad with no coverage went to the same dentist, and was charged $60. I did get a refund once when a doctor had me pay $45 and the insurance company sent me $50.