Walgreens expands drug savings program

DEERFIELD, Ill., Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The Illinois-headquartered drug store chain Walgreens has fired a new salvo in a pharmaceutical price war.

Walgreen Co. announced Monday that members of its Prescription Savings Club would be able to buy 90-day supplies of generic drugs for $12, the Chicago Tribune reported. The 4,000 drugs covered by the offer include prescription treatments for conditions that include diabetes, asthma and high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Individuals pay $20 a year to join and families $35. The club also offers discounts on a list of 5,000 other drugs, both brand-name and generic.

The CVS chain, Wal-Mart and Kmart now offer similar discounting deals.

Walgreens also announced that its monthly sales in July rose 10.7 percent from $4.4 billion last year to $4.9 billion this year. Pharmacy sales were up 10.8 percent.