Seward Hails Prescription Drug Law

Legislation just signed into law by the governor will help seniors and other consumers shop for prescription drugs, Senator James L. Seward said today.

Seward hailed legislation signed into law by the governor last night that will require prescription drug prices to be posted online to give consumers easy access to the drug price list, allowing them to electronically comparison shop for prescription drugs on the Internet and help senior citizens save money.

The law (S.1936-A, Chap. 293) will require pharmacies to provide the same list electronically each week to the Department of Health, which will make the prices available on its official website. Signs will be posted in pharmacies notifying consumers that the price list is online and the address of the website. The website will be searchable by zip code and other factors.

"Senior citizens and others who have no prescription drug plan pay the highest prices to get the medicines they need," Seward said. "The old law required pharmacies to produce a weekly updated prescription drug price list and make copies available to consumers. The legislation signed by the governor goes beyond that in helping consumers by enabling them to compare prices on the web and to locate nearby pharmacies. With gas prices so high, people can look at drug prices from their easy chairs at home and get the medicines they need. Good job Governor Pataki."

Seward says the online prescription drug price list will be the first of its kind in the entire nation.

"Who has the time or gas budget to go into every pharmacy and then compare prices? By comparing prices on the Internet, the new law will result in more competition, lower prices, and savings for seniors," Seward concluded.

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