IN THE largest and most comprehensive trial of its kind, the Chicago Tribune tested 255 pharmacies to see how often stores would dispense dangerous drug pairs without warning patients.
Fifty-two percent of the pharmacies sold the medications without mentioning the potential interaction, striking evidence of an industry-wide failure that places millions of consumers at risk.
The five combinations tested were clarithromycin and simvastatin, colchicine and verapamil, tizanidine and ciprofloxacin as well as norgestimate/ethinyl estradiol with griseofulvin.
CVS, with the largest number of stores, had the highest failure rate at 63%, while Walgreens had the lowest at 30%, the report said, pointing out that even the lowest score is still a one in three chance of a potentially serious interaction.
K-mart and Costco pharmacies also scored poorly at 60% each.
The study was conducted in association with the University of Arizona and the University of Washington.
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