LAKELAND, Fla., Aug. 23, 2011 — Beginning today, Publix will offer free 30-day supplies (up to 30 tablets) of lisinopril to customers with a prescription for the medication.
Very briefly, lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor that is primarily used to lower blood pressure and treat hypertension. However, ACE inhibitors are also routinely used to help with kidney and heart disease, both of which are common in diabetics. In fact, many diabetes specialists recommend ACE or ARB inhibitors as a preventative drug to keep blood pressure at a very healthy and low level. By incorporating ACE or ARB inhibitors before any problems arise, doctors hope to prevent the very common onset of kidney and heart disease seen in diabetics.
A lot of health care changes that have been accepted in the Affordable Health Care Act include provisions for preventative health care in what feels like a paradigm shift in the medical field to prevent the health problems before they even occur in patients. Diabetes is a special group of interest because of the rise in the number of diabetics and cost to treat illnesses like kidney failure, which could require the incredibly expensive process of dialysis treatment.
Publix announcement is possibly the first that I have seen of a business chain making a commonly used drug available for free. Many big box stores like Walmart and Target have flaunted reduced prices, but none have offered medication at no cost.
Lisinopril isn’t exactly an expensive drug. It usually costs $2-4/month with most prescription plans and has generic versions readily available. It is also worth mentioning that the Publix promotion doesn’t cover another commonly used combination version that includes hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). But the step forward with Publix trying to help the public is still impressive to me.
