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Ask SAM: cheap prescription drugs, Triad Park
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Published: November 16, 2008
Q. With Wal-Mart charging only $4 for certain prescriptions, are these medicines regulated by certain standards, or are we taking a chance by buying cheaper prescriptions? -- S.H.
A. The cheaper prescriptions are for generic medicine, which are less expensive versions of brand-name medicines. The lower price doesn't mean that the generic medicine was manufactured under less rigid standards than when it cost more.
There are some who say that generics can be inferior to name-brand medicine, but that's another topic.
Government regulation of medicine is through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approves all drugs for sale and monitors manufacturing plants. That goes the same for generics and brand-name medicine. About half of all generic drugs are manufactured by the same company that makes the brand name, according to the FDA.
Wal-Mart isn't the only chain store offering a $4 deal for a 30-day supply of medicine. Target is another. But the $4 deal doesn't cover every generic drug. Some generics cost more.
Price is especially important to people who don't have insurance to cover their prescription drugs and for people whose insurance company doesn't pay for certain drugs. People who are looking for the lowest price may find better deals on some medicines online.
Shopping online at pharmacies in the U.S. and Canada can save people more than 72 percent on brand-name medications and a similar amount on generic drugs, according to PharmacyChecker.com.
The Web site operates a verification service of U.S. and foreign online pharmacies and a free drug-price comparison. PharmacyChecker is a private company with no ownership of companies that sell or distribute pharmacy products.
Last week, PharmacyChecker.com released a report on "Safe Strategies for Drug Savings" (www.pharmacychecker.com/pdf/strategies_for_drug_sa...).
Comparing a generic drug, simvastatin (40 mg), the generic version of the cholesterol-reducer Zocor, PharmacyChecker found a price of $210 for 100 pills at a traditional pharmacy, $49.54 at a Wal-Mart, and $10.44 at a wholesale pharmacy.
It's illegal to buy medicine from pharmacies outside the United States, but the FDA says: "While it is technically illegal for Americans to import drugs through the mail, the FDA maintains a policy of not intercepting prescription drug imports for personal use, as long as the supply is for 90 days or less and doesn't include controlled substances," according to the report.
Q. I read the story in Wednesday's Winston-Salem Journal about Triad Park and the plans to build a water playground and mini-golf course. Last year at the park, I saw a sign saying an amphitheater would be built at the park. Is this still going to happen? -- M.R.
A. Forsyth County crews are grading an area to create a slope for an amphitheater, but there are no immediate plans to build anything.
"Unfortunately, it's simply moving dirt right now," said Mark Serosky, the director of the Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department. Public money will not be used for the structure, so private money is needed.
A group called Friends of Triad Park Amphitheater is involved in fundraising for an amphitheater, which would include a stage area, orchestra pit and sound system. More information is on the Web site www.triadparkamp.com.
"It all depends on whether the funds can be raised privately," Serosky said. "It could be next year, 10 years or never."
Triad Park opened in 1997. The 426-acre park, which is jointly owned by Forsyth and Guilford counties, is in Kernersville on East Mountain Street.
The $1.2 million that is Forsyth's share for the water playground and mini-golf course comes from the sale of bonds that the Forsyth board of commissioners approved in July.
Restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day
These restaurants have told us that they will be open on Thanksgiving Day. Some restaurants may require reservations, and hours vary, so you may want to call before you go. We'll reprint the list next Sunday and on Thanksgiving Day. Other restaurants that want to be listed should e-mail SAM before Thursday.
River Birch Lodge, 3324 Robinhood Road, 336-768-1111.
Mr. Waffle, 649 Peters Creek Parkway, 336-724-1294. Take out available. Delivery within a 10-mile radius available Thanksgiving Day, minimum of four meals. Please call by the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for delivery.
The Kitchen at Elkin Creek, 318 Elkin Creek Mill Road in Elkin, 336-526-5119. www.elkinmill.com
Finnigan's Wake, 620 N. Trade St., 723-0322.
■ E-mail: AskSAM@wsjournal.com.
■ Online: www.journalnow.com/asksam.
■ Write: Ask SAM, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102.
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