Bill to set up Internet prescription site heads to Pataki

ALBANY-Legislative leaders said last week they have reached agreement on a bill that would create the nation's first online price comparison for prescriptions in drug stores. The Internet pricing bill would require all pharmacies to transmit their prices for the 150 most commonly prescribed drugs to the state Department of Health. The data would then be posted online by the department. A similar Web site created by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in August 2004 now covers about 1 in 5 retail drug stores across the state, spokesman Marc Violette said. The bill passed the Senate on June 22. Richard Gottfried, a Manhattan Democrat sponsoring the measure in the Assembly, said he expects his chamber to follow suit. Supporters such as AARP and the New York Public Interest Research Group say the measure would allow patients, particularly the elderly, to save hundreds of dollars a month. "There is a great disparity in pharmaceutical pricing and this bill allows our seniors across this state to check those prices and get the best deal they can," said state Sen. Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican who sponsored the bill. New York law currently requires pharmacies to produce a weekly updated prescription drug price list and make copies available to consumers, Golden said. Pharmacists have opposed the idea, saying few of the elderly or uninsured have Internet access and that the law would cost tens of millions of dollars a year for pharmacies across the state. Gottfried was unfazed by those concerns, saying senior citizen centers and other groups serving the elderly would be able to get the information to those without Web access. Supporters said the cost would be minimal with drug stores able to submit the data via e-mail. Pharmacists also argued the bill could lead to adverse drug reactions with elderly patients buying different drugs from different pharmacies. Maine and Maryland post Medicaid drug prices on Web sites, but it appears that no other state has posted prices of drug stores for the 150 most common drugs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. "This legislation establishes most comprehensive listing of prescription drug prices on the Internet in the country," said Bill Ferris of AARP. "That's pretty big." There are now around 2.5 million state residents without prescription coverage who have to pay full-price for medications, Ferris said. Kevin Quinn, a spokesman for Gov. George Pataki, said the governor's staff would have to review the legislation.