The new Medicare Web site with comparative prescription drug pricing contains inaccurate, erroneous information, sponsors of drug discount cards said on Friday. Companies offering the cards said the government and its contractor had posted inaccurate data just hours after the web site launch.
The president of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Craig L. Fuller said "In some cases, the numbers may be too low, but in many cases, the numbers are too high."
According to Mr. Fuller the drug prices posted on the site do not reflect all the rebates and discounts available to Medicare recipients.
The vice president of Express Scripts, Stephen E. Littlejohn, said: "Our price for a 30-day supply of Vioxx, an arthritis drug, is listed as $159.32 when it should have been listed as $85.93. Celebrex was listed as $121.55. It should have been $84.78. Premarin was listed as $47.43. It should have been $30.71."
Many other card sponsors expressed similar complaints pointing out that the inaccuracies add to the confusion already surrounding the discount cards and the new law.
A spokeswoman for Walgreens, said, "About half our prices are inaccurate, on the high side."