Pharmacy proves cheaper
July 10, 2015
Pharmacies have proven to be
less expensive than supermarkets
in a comparison of a number of
common OTC medicine categories.
The survey undertaken by
consumer group CHOICE looked at
painkillers (ibuprofen, aspirin and
paracetamol); sinus medications
(phenylephrine); cough, cold and
flu; hayfever (Claratyne, Zyrtec and
Telfast); products for heartburn or
reflux (Mylanta, Zantac); diarrhoea
(imodium); and low-dose aspirin.
CHOICE said in general
pharmacies “equalled or beat
supermarkets on price when
comparing brand for brand.
“With larger pack sizes available
in pharmacies, the price per dose
was even cheaper,” the report said.
Larger discount-style pharmacies
and online pharmacies ‘tended
to be cheaper than smaller
pharmacies,” but for people not
bothered about spending a litttle
more “supermarkets offer the
convenience of one-stop shopping
and often extended hours”.
Moreover pharmacies were
found to often sell cheaper brands
(generics) than the name brands
sold in supermarkets, offering
greater savings.
Generic ibuprofen was found to
be cheaper in supermarkets.
Pharmacies were also superior in
availability of more effective active
ingredients, stronger doses and
a broader range of medicines for
many conditions.
Interestingly, while the CHOICE
survey didn’t look at customer
service issues, the authors noted
that “in the pharmacies we went to
we were often offered assistance,
usually by more than one person”.
The Pharmacy Guild welcomed
the CHOICE report, with executive
director David Quilty saying it
“exposes the ideologically-driven
claims that community pharmacy is
not competitive.
“The take-out from this report is
clear - community pharmacies are
an altogether better option than
supermarkets when it comes to
purchasing open-seller, over-thecounter
medicines,” he said.
Quilty said it was clear from the
CHOICE survey that consumers can
put their health care first, without
being out of pocket, by making
their local pharmacy their “first and
preferred port of call for all their
medicine needs”.
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