Drug discount card accepted across 41,000 US PCA pharmacies

Following Medicare's approval of its prescription drug discount card, the Pharmacy Care Alliance today announced that its growing network of pharmacies includes more than 31,000 chain and 10,000 independent representing more than 41,000 local pharmacies across the U.S.

Pharmacy Care Alliance network pharmacies will help support the Medicare- approved Pharmacy Care Alliance drug discount card by accepting the card at all of their pharmacies, and helping Medicare beneficiaries understand the new benefit and how it can help them save money on their prescription drug costs.

Medicare beneficiaries can begin applying for the discount card in May, and the program will begin in June. The Pharmacy Care Alliance estimates that the Medicare beneficiaries will be able to save as much as 20 percent on brand name and 40 percent on generic prescription drugs through the program.

Medicare-approved drug discount cards are designed to help beneficiaries with prescription drug costs until the new federal prescription drug coverage -- Medicare Part D -- takes effect in January 2006. The members of the Pharmacy Care Alliance network of pharmacies include retail and grocery chains, deep discount, mass merchants and independent pharmacies. All retail pharmacies are invited into the program and new pharmacies continue to join:

A&P Ahold USA Albertsons Amerisource Bergen Anchor Pharmacy Aurora Pharmacy Associated Wholesale Grocers Bashas' Inc. BJ's Pharmacy Brooks Brookshire Brothers Brookshire Grocery Cardinal Leader Drug Stores Carle Rx Express CK/KC Inc. Coborn's Costco CVS Pharmacy D&W Food Centers Dahl's Pharmacy Dierberg's Pharmacy Discount Drug Mart Doc's Drugs Drug Fair Duane Reade Eckerd Epic Pharmacy Network Fagen Pharmacy Family Care FamilyMeds Food Lion Fred's Fruth Pharmacy Felpausch Hometown Pharmacies Gemmel Pharmacy Giant Eagle Haggen Food & Pharmacy

Hannaford Brothers Happy Harry's Harps Food Stores Harris Teeter Hartig Harvest Foods H-E-B Foods/Drugs Henry Ford Health System Hi-School Hy-Vee/Drugtown Ingles Markets Kash n' Karry Kerr Drug Keystone-Medicine Chest Kinney Drugs Klingensmith's Kmart Knight Drugs Kopp Drug Kroger Food City Longs Marc Glassman Marsh Drug May's Drug McKesson AccessHealth Med-Fast Pharmacy Medic Drug Medicap Medicine Shoppe Med-X Meijer Minyard Nash Finch Company Navarro NeighborCare Northeast Pharmacy Services

Park Nicollet Pathmark Stores Penn Traffic Company Pharmacy Express Services Price-Less Publix Quick Chek Raley's Rite Aid Rosauers Pharmacy RXD Safeway Save Mart Sav-More Schnuck Markets Pharmacy Scolari's Shelley's Shopko Snyder Drug/Drug Emporium Spartan Stores, Inc. Star Markets SUPERVALU Target Stores The Bartell Drug Company Times Supermarket Ukrop's Pharmacy United Drug United of Texas United Supermarkets USA Drug/SuperD VG's Pharmacy Wakefern Food Wal-Mart Wegmans Weis Markets Winn-Dixie

"We are pleased to welcome these pharmacies into the Pharmacy Care Alliance network," said Mary Ann Wagner, president and consumer health adviser for the Pharmacy Care Alliance. "Together, we'll work to help seniors save money on their prescription drugs while also keeping health and safety top of mind. And, since the Pharmacy Care Alliance is designed in alliance with community pharmacies, the pharmacist will continue to serve as a trusted advisor for seniors while the pharmacy will remain a cornerstone in care and support."

The Pharmacy Care Alliance The Pharmacy Care Alliance is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization. It is an alliance between the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), which represents 216 chain pharmacies operating more than 35,000 retail community pharmacies, and Express Scripts (Nasdaq: ESRX), one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in North America. The Pharmacy Care Alliance discount card will be supported by neighborhood pharmacists in its network of participating pharmacies, who will provide support and counsel to program members, advise on ways to lower overall prescription drug costs and ensure the safety of all medications.

Release: Pharmacy Care Alliance