NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. retail chain Wal-Mart will begin selling 291 generic drugs at $4 for a month's supply at some stores, reports said Thursday.
The slashed price means consumers could save nearly 75 percent on some generic prescriptions.
Wal-Mart said it would launch the plan initially at 65 pharmacies in Wal-Mart, Neighborhood Market and Sam's Club locations in the Tampa Bay, Fla., area but would expand the program to the entire state in January, reports said.
According to a Wall Street Journal report Thursday, it was unclear whether Wal-Mart had made exclusive deals with makers of generic drugs to sell their products to the retailer at set prices.
Due to Wal-Mart's massive size -- including 3,000 U.S. stores -- such pricing agreements with generic-drug companies could have a ripple effect on the prices of existing and soon-to-be-marketed generic drugs, WSJ said.
Wal-Mart deals could prove a boon to generic-drug companies, which have low profit margins, the report said, and could spur other retail pharmacy chains to follow suit.
Wal-Mart has been on a mission to bolster its image on healthcare in the wake of recent negative publicity over its low worker health benefits, which critics charge has forced many Wal-Mart workers to turn to state Medicaid programs for adequate care.
The discount giant announced earlier this year it was enhancing its health benefits package by, for example, extending coverage to part-time workers and their families.
