The retail cost of antihypertensive therapy. Physician and patient as educated consumers.

The retail cost for antihypertensive medication in the Cincinnati area was examined using a questionnaire sent to 20 local pharmacies asking them to provide the cost to the patient for a 30-day supply of medication. Six pharmacies responded, providing a detailed list of drug prices. The price for a given drug varies considerably from pharmacy to pharmacy, with generics having the greatest variability. There are also large differences between agents within a drug class, leading to overlap between classes. Some diuretics and beta-blockers are more expensive than angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or calcium-channel blockers. For some agents a dose increase costs nothing, whereas for others it dramatically increases the cost. The price structure for antihypertensive agents is complex. Without detailed and current information, a physician will find it difficult to estimate the cost of a given prescription.