December 29, 2005 Issue                                                 

©2005 The Chestnut Hill Local

New discount pharmacy undercuts the giant chains
by LOU PERSEGHIN

Adam Shubbar and Howard Brooker, owners of the Adams Discount Pharmacy at 241 Keswick Ave. in Glenside, advertise their new business as ‘The pharmacy for the uninsured and patients with high co-pays.”

Since the September 1 opening of the Adams Discount Pharmacy, owners Adam Shubbar and Howard Brooker have experienced a large influx of prescription transfers and doctor referrals.

“We have a full catalog of products,” said Shubbar, “whether it’s prescriptions, medical supplies, wheelchairs, nebulizers, canes or whatever, we can get it for you the next day.”

The pharmacy, located at 241 Keswick Ave. in Glenside, advertises as ‘The pharmacy for the uninsured and patients with high co-pays.’ The larger the amount a patient is buying, said Shubbar, the more he can save.

“Somebody can go elsewhere and get a 30-day supply of generic blood pressure medicine,” said Shubbar, “but we can generally get them a 90-day supply for the same price.”

The pharmacy does not deal with insurance or co-pays, but rather operates with a very low overhead to offer an average discount anywhere from 40 to 75 percent off the brand name manufacturer’s cost. Adams fills prescriptions for both generic and brand name medications, as well as other medical equipment.

“We ask them how much they pay now for co-pay,” said Shubbar, “and if it’s less than what we can sell it for, we tell them to stay with their insurance.”

Adams will also attempt to match the prices at other pharmacies, or try to give the customer a longer supply of their prescription for the same cost. Unlike CVS or Rite Aid, who deal with insurance and co-pay exclusively, Adams is not bound by the insurance companies, allowing them to refill a prescription at any time or fill a larger prescription that would be limited by an insurance company.

Shubbar and Brooker, who worked together at Lankenau Hospital in the Main Line health system, began looking for a way to acquire prescription medication for a lower cost.

“I was trying to find cheap prescriptions for my mother,” said Shubbar, “and I thought there has to be a better way besides Canada or Mexico. [Brooker] and I looked into it back in March of this year.”

Shubbar stressed that the pharmacy is not limited to those without insurance, but also caters to those with an expensive co-pays.

“People can still save money bypassing the insurance altogether,” said Shubbar. “If you’re paying through insurance and it’s less, you should obviously stick with that. Companies compete for pricing so prices drop, and we can save them tremendous money.”

Shubbar stated that they were not worried about losing money from running at such a low overhead cost, as the response from doctor referrals and patient transfers has been very good to this point.

“Doctors love it,” said Shubbar. “They send all their patients over here. They keep calling for us to send more business cards. Every time we have an ad out, we get at least a thousand calls.”

Since opening, Adams has been running in the black.

“Our prescriptions are so cheap so we don’t need to mark them up that much. We haven’t had more need to put money into the business. Our biggest expense is advertising; it costs more than the drugs we buy.”