BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has announced that it will be one of the first pharmacy retailers to offer clopidogrel, the generic version of the blockbuster anti-blood clotting medication Plavix.
The discount store giant said Wednesday that clopidogrel will be available at all Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies on May 19.
Clopidogrel is indicated for the prevention of blood clots after a recent heart attack or stroke, as well as for certain cardiovascular disorders.
"Many of our customers struggle with the cost of health care in America and forgo filling prescriptions to make ends meet," John Agwunobi, president of Walmart U.S. health and wellness, said in a statement. "Walmart is focused on bringing our customers the lowest prices on the products and services they need to stay healthy, including aggressively delivering new generic medications as they are released."
Walmart noted that other popular branded medications with generic equivalents due out this year include Singulair (montelukast is the generic name) and Actos/ActosPlus (pioglitazone) in August; Divan (valsartan) and Detrol (tolterodine) in September; Lidoderm (lidocaine patch) in November; and Maxalt (rizatriptan) in December.
Widely used brand-name prescription drugs with generic versions that already came out in 2012, Walmart said, include Lexapro (escitalopram), Boniva (ibandronate), Avapro (irbesartan), Provigil (modafinil), Seroquel (quetiapine) and Geodon (ziprasidone HCl).
Walmart also touted its landmark Affordable Prescription Program that offers hundreds of generics at $4 for a 30-day supply and $10 for a 90-day supply. The retailer said the program has saved Americans more than $4.8 billion on their prescriptions since its launch in 2006, compared with the cost of those medications before the program’s inception.
