Kroger pharmacies now accept Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Rx cards

All Kroger Co. pharmacies have begun accepting the prescription benefits card from pharmaceutical provider Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co.

Billionaire businessman and investor Mark Cuban’s pharmacy venture announced the agreement with Kroger in a tweet on Wednesday. The drug company’s card, called the Team Cuban Card, helps participating consumers find generic medications at a significant savings through its affiliated pharmacy network.

Kroger Co. pharmacy banners accepting the Team Cuban Card include Kroger, Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes Super Markets, Jay C Food Stores, King Soopers, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay Less Super Markets, Pick’n Save, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s.

Overall, Kroger operated 2,252 pharmacies in its 2,719 supermarkets in 35 states and the District of Columbia at the close of its 2022 fiscal year. The Cincinnati-based food and drug retailer tallied $13.38 billion in pharmacy sales (or 9% of its total sales) in fiscal 2022, marking a 7.9% year-over-year gain.

“If you love Cost Plus Drugs’ low prices but want to pick up your prescription at a local pharmacy, including Kroger locations nationwide, sign up for your Team Cuban Card today,” Dallas-based Cost Plus Drugs said in the July 19 tweet.

Cost Plus Drugs tweeted the card acceptance deal with Kroger on Wednesday. / Image courtesy of Cost Plus Drug Co.

Overall, Cost Plus Drugs’ Team Cuban Card is accepted at independent and supermarket pharmacies in 38 states and D.C., also including William Bros. Health Care Pharmacy and Mainline Pharmacy.

Cuban, a staunch advocate of lowering drug costs, launched Cost Plus Drugs with its founder and current CEO Alexander Oshmyansky in January 2022. A public benefit corporation, the pharmacy and drug wholesale company—describing itself as an “UnPBM”—aims to slash prescription prices by filling and delivering scripts at acquisition cost plus a fixed 15% margin. Prescriptions are fulfilled by its URAC-accredited mail and specialty facilities.

On its website, Cost Plus Drugs said managed care organizations and employer group insurance plans can work with their existing pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) by adding Cost Plus Drugs to their pharmacy network, or enlist the company’s claims processor or one of its PBM partners. Cost Plus Drugs reported that it has demonstrated a savings of 50% to 90% on plans’ current generic drug spend.

At this time, Cost Plus Drugs provides only generic medicines but eventually aims to include single-source branded drugs and specialty biologics. To date, the company said its pharmacy offers more than 1,000 of the most highly used and/or highest-cost generic drugs. It’s also entering pharmaceutical manufacturing, with plans to open a 22,000-square-foot, sterile fill-finish facility in Dallas this year.