With the current rise in
prescription drug costs, several companies have popped up in recent years that
promise to find consumers the lowest prices. The firms compare brand-name drugs
with generic options and reveal the prices featured at local pharmacies.
Some commercial insurers
offer their own price-comparison tools. OneRx, a mobile app
launched nationally last week by New York health care analytics company
Truveris, seeks to set itself apart by allowing a co-pay search based on the
individual's insurer.
The app allows patients to
enter their insurance information and find out what their co-pay will be for a
prescription. To use OneRX, a picture is taken of the insurance card, and the
information is available in a day. The information also can be entered
manually.
At times, the app may
reveal that a drug is more affordable without insurance because of step therapy
requirements or other issues, said Bryan Birch, Truveris' chairman, president
and chief executive.
The app takes into account
manufacturer coupons, pharmacy discounts and other deals, independent of
insurance coverage. Like competitor GoodRx, which also shows drug prices from
different pharmacies, OneRx automates the process of searching for coupons
so consumers don't have to ferret out savings on their own.
Ideally, patients will use
the app while they're still in the doctors' office, which will boost their
compliance with prescriptions, Mr. Birch said.
