Prilosec OTC is now touting its price in their DTC ads.
So, is 68 cents a day a good deal? Let’s compare with the prescription PPIs.
For a 30-day supply (from drugstore.com):
Prilosec OTC $20 (68 cents x 30 tabs)
Nexium 20mg $120.99
Protonix 40mg $103.99
Prevacid 15mg $124.44
In most health plans, the co-pay for the prescription PPIs are third tier ($25 to $45 for a one month co-pay).
How about the H2-blockers?
For a 30-day supply (from CVS.com):
Zantac $17.99
Ranitidine (generic) $11.99
Pepcid AC $21.99
Famotidine (generic) $11.99
So, the bottom line – Prilosec OTC seems like a pretty good value if you need a PPI. $20 is still cheaper than many third tier co-pays. However, the H2-blockers will still always be cheaper and are quite effective for the initial treatment of GERD.
Related posts:
- Insurance companies ripping patients off for generic drugs?
- Price and perceived effectiveness
- Cutting health care costs
- Beware the dangers of universal health care
- De-facto price controls
- Do free sample medications really save patients money?
- Are generic medications as good as their brand name counterparts?
{ 2 comments }
Yea, except …if you really need a PPI, the OTC strength isn’t strong enough … so you have to go to prescription strength.
So the OTC is still not a value and going with Zantac or one of the others you mentioned is still a better idea!
Prilosec OTC is a PPI. But you sure sound confident!
Prilosec OTC is a PPI, it works well on one pill a day for most people.
I found Zantac didn’t work sell for me at all. Pepcid works for me, but it only works for about 8 hours give or take.
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