Pharmacy tip leads to methamphetamine arrest
A
recent tip from the Columbia Hy-Vee pharmacy that
led to the arrest of two New Franklin residents proves
that tough restrictions on pseudoephedrine are working,
Howard County Prosecuting Attorney Mason Gebhardt
said.
Betty L. Linhart, 39, and James R. Price, 55, were
arrested in New Franklin on Nov. 13 after information
from pharmacies revealed they had bought illegal amounts
of medicine containing pseudoephedrine. Linhart and
Price are charged with possession of precursor ingredients
with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, as
well as possession of meth.
$4
drugs come to California - Target, Wal-Mart slash
prices; pharmacy association critical
Wal-Mart Stores began selling $4 prescription drugs
Tuesday at its 189 pharmacies in California, including
its stores in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and
Sierra foothills.
California and 10 other states were among the final
states included in the retailer's discount program,
first offered at Wal-Mart pharmacies in Florida in
September. Four dollars buys a 30-day supply of generic
drugs on Wal-Mart's discount list, which now has 331
prescription drugs.
People's
Pharmacy - Take care with generic drugs
One
popular way to lower the cost of prescription drugs
is to purchase generics. Physicians are encouraged
to prescribe generic equivalents when possible, and
patients may be penalized if they insist on a brand
name. The co-pay for branded medications is often
double or triple that for generics.
People without insurance often can't afford anything
other than generic medicine. But how good are these
substitutes?
For 30 years we have defended generic drugs. The
Food and Drug Administration assured us that its rigorous
standards ensured quality. A few years ago, however,
we started to get reports from readers about generic-drug
failures.
