At Consumer Reports Health, we are focused on reducing unnecessary medical and financial harm to patients, whether in the doctor's office, the hospital, or at the pharmacy counter.

In the case of drugs, manufacturers spend billions of dollars each year to promote medications to consumers and healthcare providers. But are these drugs effective and safe? Which ones are best? And how much do they cost? Many people struggle to answer those questions. While Consumer Reports doesn't test drugs in the same way we test cars, refrigerators or lawnmowers, through a grant-funded project called Best Buy Drugs, we review large-scale analyses of common medications to make recommendations about which ones are a good, cost-effective first choice and when you might be able to try non-drug options first. To understand what consumers experience at the drugstore, we use an army of secret shoppers, nationally representative telephone surveys, large-scale pricing data and one-on-one interviews. 

Americans and their insurance companies spent $6 billion on the acid-reflux drug Nexium in 2012, making it the top-selling branded prescription medication. But Best Buy Drugs' review of the research showed Nexium, and other drugs in this class including Prevacid 24HR and Prilosec OTC, called proton-pump inhibitors, are roughly equal in how well they work and in their safety profile. More importantly though, a majority of people who take them don't actually need them and could instead use less potent treatments, such as less expensive over-the-counter remedies.

Best Buy Drugs celebrated its 10th anniversary last month -- but there is plenty more to be done to improve the marketplace for consumers. We are always seeking collaborative partnerships to help distribute information or create materials to reach specific audiences at the point of decision-making. If you or your organization are interested in learning more or becoming a partner, please contact us: healthimpact@cr.consumer.org.