US Pharm. 2009;34(6):8.

Alexandria, VA -- The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) lashed out against Wal-Mart's new pilot mail order prescription program, Pharmacy Home Delivery. Under the program, Wal-Mart customers will be able to receive their prescriptions in 7 to 10 business days with free shipping. According to NCPA Executive Vice President and CEO Bruce T. Roberts, RPh, the program raises questions about patient safety and the high cost of treating adverse drug events. "Any proposal built on replacing the corner pharmacy with the post office is penny wise and pound foolish," said Roberts. Citing that an estimated $177 billion is spent annually on hospital, physician, and other treatments for inappropriate medication use, Roberts commented that "Clearly, more patients risk adverse drug events and the resulting treatment costs would soar if a patient's primary community pharmacist is traded for envelopes and 1-800 numbers."