Save Me Steve: How to get discounts on Tamiflu

DALLAS - The flu outbreak is bad with far too many deaths this season. One recent victim died after finding the flu medication Tamiflu was too expensive. But consumer reporter Steve Noviello said there are ways to cut that cost and maybe save a life.

While there are no manufacturer’s coupons for the name brand Tamiflu medication, there are several ways to save.

The most obvious is to get the generic form of the drug, Oseltamivir. Steve checked local pharmacies for a price comparison. It costs less than Tamiflu but is still listed between $107 and $155 for the commonly-prescribed 75 mg 10-dose pack without insurance.

Steve was able to buy it for $66 including tax thanks to a company called GoodRx. It compiles and leverages discounts and coupons through pharmacies across the country to bring you the lowest price possible on drugs.

Using the same website, Steve went shopping at Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger and CVS. And instead of spending between $107 and $155, he was quoted prices between $50 and $60.

He did not compare that to any insurance price, which can be significantly lower depending on your plan.

The GoodRx cards are completely free and offer discounts on hundreds of medications. To get one, just visit the company’s website, look up your medication and print out a card or show it to the pharmacist on your phone.

On a side note, there are many drug discount programs including one locally based that Steve reported on a few months ago. But because of the flu season, he’s only concentrating on the price of Tamiflu. For that drug, GoodRx was the best discount he found.

LINK: goodrx.com