Prescription Drugs and Pharmacy Services Costs

Reasons to Visit a Pharmacy

Gone are the days when a pharmacy was just where you’d go to fill a prescription or grab an over-the-counter (OTC) remedy for a headache or the common cold. The services and care that pharmacists can provide have been expanded to include health screenings, vaccines and immunizations — on top of prescriptions and trusted guidance on medications.¹ Some patients even visit their community pharmacies almost twice as often as they do their doctors or other healthcare providers.²

Here are some of the services provided at pharmacies that can enhance your healthcare:

• Prescriptions. Whether you need antibiotics for infections, weight loss GLP-1s or something in between, your pharmacist can help ensure you get the right Rx based on your medical history. They can also advise you on potential food and drug interactions and ways to mitigate potential side effects.¹
• Immunizations and vaccines. Pharmacists can provide flu and COVID-19 vaccines and — depending on your state’s regulations — other vaccines, including the shingles vaccines, common childhood vaccines and those recommended for international travel.³
• Health screenings and clinical services. Pharmacies offer several preventive screenings, such as lipid tests that can identify contributing factors for heart disease (like high cholesterol), as well as blood glucose and A1C testing to monitor diabetes. You can also get tested for viruses like the flu, COVID-19 and RSV.⁴
• Diabetes products and devices. A pharmacy can often be your one-stop shop for the tools you need to manage diabetes, including blood glucose strips and monitoring devices, insulin pens, pump supplies and more.¹
• Contraceptive services. Pharmacies can provide access to contraception, including Opill®, the first OTC birth control pill approved by the FDA. You can also get other types of hormonal contraceptives — pills, patches, rings, injectable birth control — with a prescription from a healthcare provider or, depending on where you live, a pharmacist. Pharmacists in around 30 states and the District of Columbia can prescribe contraceptives.⁵

Prescription Drugs Costs

Pharmacy costs for prescriptions are as varied as the Rx types available and can vary significantly by location and insurance coverage. Among the factors that may impact cost include:⁶

• Type of drug
• Generic or branded
• Dosage
• Length of treatment
• Formulation (tablets, capsules, extended-release versions and others)

Common prescription drugs costs

Here’s a look at the average costs* of some commonly prescribed drugs:⁶

Prescription drug	Average cost
Albuterol inhalers
ProAir® Hydrofluoroalkane (HFA)	$60
Proventil® HFA	$73
Ventolin® HFA	$57
Albuterol sulfate HFA (generic)	$35
Amoxicillin	$6/10 days
Gabapentin (Neurontin®)	$108/30 capsules
Gabapentin (generic)	$13/30 capsules
Obesity/Weight loss drugs
Hydrogel (Plenity®)	$96/month
Liraglutide (Saxenda®)	$1,827/month
Naltrexone and bupropion (Contrave®)	$673/month
Orlistat (Alli®)	$55/bottle
Orlistat (Xenical®)	$126/bottle
Phentermine (Adipex-P®)	$112/30 tablets
Phentermine (generic)	$37/30 tablets
Phentermine and topiramate (Qsymia®)	$251/month
Semaglutide (Ozempic®)	$1,002/month
Semaglutide (Wegovy®)	$1,403/month
Setmelanotide (Imcivree®)	$3,670/10 mg
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®)	$1,009/month
Tirzepatide (Zepbound®)	$1,001/month
Sildenafil (Viagra®)	$2,760/30 tablets
Sildenafil (generic)	$900/30 tablets

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Immunizations and Vaccines Costs

The following are the average costs* of some common immunizations and vaccines:⁶

Immunizations and vaccines	Average cost
COVID-19	$151
Hepatitis A	$181
Hepatitis B	$122
Herpes zoster (shingles)	$360
Influenza (flu) vaccines
Low dose	$20
High dose	$66
Meningitis vaccines
MenACWY	$171
MenB	$192
Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap)	$71
Travel vaccines
Cholera	$277
Typhoid (injectable)	$151
Typhoid (oral)	$76
Yellow fever	$222

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Health Screening and Clinical Services Costs

Below you’ll find the average costs* of health screenings and clinical services you can access at many pharmacies:⁶

Health screenings and clinical services	Average cost
Bone density screening (DEXA scan)	$235
COVID-19 tests
COVID-19 rapid antigen test	$51
COVID-19 rapid home test	$11
COVID-19 rapid PCR test	$96
Diabetes monitoring
A1C test	$35
Glucose screening (pregnancy)	$138
Flu tests
Influenza home test	$12
Influenza PCR test	$83
Influenza rapid antigen test	$25
Heart health screening
Lipid panel	$35
Hepatitis screening
Hepatitis A antibody test	$186
Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test	$73
Hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) test	$71
Hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV) home test	$60
Hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV) lab test	$96
Hepatitis full panel test	$76
RSV tests
RSV PCR test	$116
RSV rapid test	$50

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Diabetes Products and Devices Costs

Below are the average costs* of medical products and devices commonly used to manage diabetes:⁶

Diabetes management products and devices	Average cost
Blood glucose test strips	$5 to $50/box of 50
Continuous glucose monitor (CGM) sensors	$45 to $99
Glucose gels, powders and tablets
Glucose gels	$1 to $3+/oz
Glucose powders	$1 to $50+
Glucose tablets	$5 to $50+
Insulin pens
Disposable insulin pens	$25 to $135+/pen
Reusable insulin pens	$30 to $60
Insulin pump supplies
Adhesive patches and skin prep	$10 to $50/month
Infusion sets	$100 to $200+
Reservoirs/cartridges	$25 to $50+/box of 10

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Contraceptive Services Costs

Here are the average costs* of contraceptive services offered by pharmacies, depending on the state you live in and local laws:⁶

Contraceptive services	Average cost
Birth control pills
OTC birth control pill (Opill)	$50/84 pills
Prescription birth control pills	$35 to $185+ per month
Injectable contraceptives
Depo-Provera® 1 ml	$126/3 months
Depo-SubQ Provera 104®	$86/3 months
Patch contraceptives
Twirla®	$200 to $235/month
Xulane®	$50 to $100/month
Vaginal rings
Annovera®	$57/year
NuvaRing®	$238/month

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