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Show Ointment J iH ii ii El m Of the leading hemorrhoid preparations, Nupercainal and only Nupercainal contains a unique combination of lubricants plus Dibucaine, a proven topical anesthetic which in many cases provides effective temporary relief of hemorrhoid pain and itch. Nupercainal also helps reduce irritation of troubled hemorrhoidal tissues, aids in reducing inflammation, and allows the natural healing process to function with a unique combination of ingredients that helps make bowel movements more comfortable. For temporary relief in many cases of the pain, itch, and throb associated with hemorrhoids, use Nupercainal Ointment or Suppositories. They work fast and correctly to make you feel better. No prescription needed. owitr If impacted it may impair hearing. Soften for removal with DeWitft OIL for EAR USE s Prescription Drugs cases Nupercainal aids in reducing inflammation the natural healing process to function. allows TT II In Ii SWOLLEN HEMORRHOIDS? In many uJ by Ralph Morse FARGO, N. DAK. 23 for. OIL EAR USE fhen druggist Marlin Radtke put a sign up in his store here listing more than 100 prescription drugs along with their prices, his fellow druggists shunned and the state board of pharmacy voted him, to suspend his pharmacy license. But the chain he works for sued, and a federal judge ruled he could keep the sign. Radtke and his allies were part of a movement that is trying to throw light into some of the dark corners of the drug retailing business. One of their goals is to make prices visible to the public. Until recently, almost all states forbade advertising of prescription drug prices, both in the store and in newspapers and on radio and television. But the demise of this secrecy may be near. This year alone, consumer groups in North Dakota, Minnesota, Nevada and Connecticut convinced their legislatures to allow price posting, but the prohibition still exists in about 30 states. New York went a step farther starting Jan. 1 a new law will require price posting of the 150 most frequently sold prescription items. The city of Boston initiated this sort of requirement in 1971. But virtually all states still forbid media advertising of drug prices. Druggists insist on the need for the secrecy. Their main argument is that advertising would violate their professional ethics by seeming to solicit business or encourage use of drugs. re BACKACHE rS re DeWITT'S Pills act last with an analgesic to help re''eve the pain of backache and joint pains. Special services udGfl present medication maybe giving you only half the relief you need. Your If you suffer from occasional simple tension, chances are your tension is both mental and physical Now theres a product thats made to relieve both. Its called Quiet World1. Quiet World is not a tranquilizer, but a simple calmative with a relaxant and a pain reliever. That formula is im,Krtant. Because unlike other leading calmatives. Quiet World contains a full dose of pain relievers to relieve physical aches, while Quiet Worlds calmative and relaxant soothe away simple nervous tension. Non-narcoti- c, Quiet World. For occasional simple tension that gets out of hand. Pharmacists distinguish between themselves and other retailers because they provide special service by checking with doctors to make sure proper dosages are prescribed and by keeping records of customers' prescriptions. They say priorities would be distorted by publicizing prices, that healing should take precedence over price. The next step, they say, would be price wars that would drive smaller pharmacies out of business. This argument seems to have been particularly effective with state legislators from smaller communities. Customers are free to shop for the best buys in prescriptions when a store posts prices. But critics scoff at these contentions. Richard McLaren, as assistant attorney general in charge of the U.S. Antitrust Division, wrote that his office had found that "many, if not most, restrictions on the advertising of prescription drug prices are unjustified on any grounds." Other critics say that the smaller pharmacies would not be driven out of business in a price war so long as they provided good service, long hours, home delivery and convenient location. Filling little bottles And even if smaller firms would be to compete, drugs are much like other consumer commodities for which shoppers should be allowed to comparison shop, these critics insist. One survey showed that 95 percent of prescriptions were filled by merely taking pills from large bottles and putting them into vials. This is cited as evidence that druggists exaggerate the value of the services they provide. Also under fire, is the wide variation in prices for the same drugs at different stores. Within a few blocks of one another in large cities, prices at two pharmacies may actually differ by as much as 100 percent. A recent survey by the office of U.S. Rep. Benjamin Rosenthal (D., N.Y.) discovered that most people found "prices on over half of their prescriptions vary from store to store by at least 25 percent." The survey also found, as expected, that the larger chain pharmacies charged somewhat less than the smaller "mom and pop" stores, although there were some exceptions. The study did pinpoint one consistently overpriced locale pharmacies in medical arts buildings. It also uncovered a practice of pricing by whim: in several specific stores the sex, age and race of the customer seemed to affect prices. Abuses and variation such as those found in Rosenthals survey will probably continue while prices are hidden from view. So until consumers can talk state legislatures into rewriting the old rules, all the rest of us should remember to ask the price before buying prescription drugs. hard-press- PARADE ALK.USr 19 197 J |