DRUGS: Easing Pains In the Wallet

Easing Pains In the Wallet

Money-back guarantees have long been used to promote mail-order kitchen knives or lawn trimmers, but now that classic gimmick is helping sell a most unlikely product: prescription drugs. G.D. Searle -- best known for introducing the first birth-control pill and NutraSweet, the widely used sugar substitute -- is offering full refunds to customers who find the company's medications ineffective or experience unpleasant side effects. All a patient has to do is fill out a postcard-size form with information about where the drug was bought and how much it cost, and attach the sales receipt. The patient's physician signs the form, sends...

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