Of the 11,487 brand-name drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 8,730 have generic counterparts - the same medicine for a lower cost.

"What happens to patients who walk into Wal-Mart thinking that they will be able to get their medications for $4, only to be told that the medicine they need is not on the list and will cost much more?" asked Roberts, CEO of the pharmacists association.

Stockton pharmacist Charlie Green agrees with Roberts' comments.

"They claim they're not doing this to steal patients, but I don't believe that. I just believe they are doing this to get more customers in the store. I feel it's just really an advertsing ploy by Wal-Mart, and I don't think it's right," said Green, owner of Green Bros.

Pharmacy, a 27-year member of the National Community Pharmacists Association and a past president of the American Pharmaceutical Association.

Roberts said community pharmacists "strongly support" efforts to make prescription drugs more affordable and they have worked especially hard in the past year to help in the transition for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the new Part D drug program.

"But this move by Wal-Mart certainly cannot be viewed as the answer to most patients' needs. Patients' time and health are too valuable to send them on a wild-goose chase looking for their medications," he said.

Wal-Mart's discount program, announced Sept. 21 and quickly matched by competitor Target Corp., is expected to be expanded throughout Florida by the first of next year and rolled out to the rest of the nation sometime after that.

Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner said Monday that the drug list "is a significant proportion of the generics we dispense. We've said we would work hard to expand the list as quickly as we could, and we have already done so."

In response to the community pharmacists group's criticism, Gardner said the retailer already has evidence that customers are saving money on drugs not on the $4 generics list.

"We're making a real difference to people's lives, and we're very proud of that. And because customers know how much of a difference we're making to them, misstatements from groups trying to preserve the status quo - and high prices - won't fly."

In a random survey of Stockton Wal-Mart and Target shoppers last week, comments were overwhelmingly favorable for bringing the discount program to California.

Phil Oppenheimer, dean of University of the Pacific's Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in north Stockton, said last week that greater access to quality health care is a primary concern of all pharmacists. Time for consultation with the pharmacist is an important part of the equation.

"It is critical that patients receive proper instructions and consultation from the pharmacist along with the medication. Many pharmacies are willing to price match when asked. Patients should consult with pharmacists that they trust," Oppenheimer said.

Roberts said it was his organization's hope "that Wal-Mart pharmacists will be given the time and incentive to adequately counsel all of their patients about their prescription medicines."
He said further that the community pharmacists association is looking closely at the anti-competitive nature of Wal-Mart's discount program.

"Wal-Mart is infamous for driving small-town businesses out of business through deceptive and predatory pricing practices," the group's statement said.

"Prescription medicines are not a commodity like T-shirts and DVDs and should not be held out as a loss-leader lure to patients," Roberts said.