title: Variation in drug prices at pharmacies: are prices higher in poorer areas?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether retail prices for prescription drugs are higher in poorer areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  The MyFloridarx.com website, which provides retail prescription prices at Florida pharmacies, and median ZIP code income from the 2000 Census.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared mean pharmacy prices for each of the four study drugs across ZIP code income groups. Pharmacies were classified as either chain pharmacies or independent pharmacies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prices were downloaded in November 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Across the four study drugs, mean prices were highest in the poorest ZIP codes: 9 percent above the statewide average. Independent pharmacies in the poorest ZIP codes charged the highest mean prices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Retail prescription prices appear to be higher in poorer ZIP codes of Florida.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. wgellad@rand.org
authors.forename: Walid F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Gellad
authors.forename: Niteesh K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Choudhry
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Friedberg
authors.forename: M Alan
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brookhart
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Shrank
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005431:Florida; D007182:Income; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000191:economics*; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000191:economics*; D011203:Poverty
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations