We’ve learned to trust Consumer Reports to buy cars, refrigerators and life insurance, but what about medications? Can the same company that has taste testers for coffee and wear-and-tear machines to evaluate clothing durability really do the same for the pharmaceutical industry? Can it help me find the best medicines and save me money?
Yes. Through a remarkable partnership with the Drug Effectiveness Review Project (DERP) at Oregon Health and Science University, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Consumer Reports has access to the best available evidence on drug safety and effectiveness:
This information compares drugs in the same class (pain relievers, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) on all the published medical literature that examines their clinical effectiveness, mostly through clinical trials. This original source information is available to you online at
Unfortunately, you will not find the DERP information very useful – try reading the first report, “ACE Inhibitors.” It is 147 pages of dense medical analysis of high blood pressure drugs. It also has no information on the cost of the 11 different drugs in this group, which is very important to those who not only want a safe and effective drug, but also need to pay for it
That’s where Consumer Reports comes in. Taking the DERP findings, adding information on the cost of these drugs, and then publishing it in reader-friendly short reports, CR is making the best information easily accessible. And it’s free. They even identify “Best Buy Drugs,” those which consistently have the best quality-to-cost ratio. What could be simpler?
Can it save you money? The CR Best Buy drug could save you $1,900 a year if you’re taking Celebrex and $1,700 a year if you’re taking Nexium, to give you two examples. Look at the CR site for your own medications to see how much you might save.
Does anyone else believe CR’s information? You bet – as reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this is a service which physicians applaud. And 15 states, including New York and Minnesota, use this information in deciding which drugs to offer their Medicaid beneficiaries. It has been endorsed by organizations as diverse as the American Public Health Association, the AFL-CIO and the Alliance for Retired Persons.
It’s free, it’s great information, and it will save you money. Any questions?
#1 by Glen Douglas on June 14th, 2007
Sounds interesting
#2 by Lily on June 11th, 2008
Three cheers for Wal-Mart. And now they’ve started selling 3 months of those generics for $10. Wow! For my other meds that aren’t generic I use the prescription discount card that I found at http://www.rxdrugcard.com. Low membership fee. Drug prices posted to check before you join.