DestinationRX launches a pharmacy shopping-comparison site

DestinationRx, an online shopping site for health, beauty and pharmaceutical products, is launching a comparison shopping web site. DestinationRx offers comprehensive and up-to-date product information and price comparisons on more than 20,000 items, across dozens of online drug stores. At the core of DestinationRx' is a proprietary crawler search engine called SARAH-- Search All Related Affiliate Healthsites. SARAH acquires and aggregates up-to-date product and price information from more than two dozen online pharmacies and health and wellness sites. Health and beauty items account for more than $150 million in online purchases each month. Online retail analysts estimate that by 2004, online prescription medication purchases will reach $15 billion, and over-the-counter and health product purchases will total $2.4 billion. Among the items available for comparison shopping at DestinationRx are prescription medications; beauty and spa products, including shampoos, skin care, and cosmetics; medicine cabinet products such as cough syrups, over-the-counter pain relievers, and feminine products; vitamins and herbs; personal care items such as toothpaste and shaving supplies; and personal wellness products such as nutrition bars and diet aids. In addition to comparison shopping, DestinationRx offers consumers product-specific, and purchase-relevant content to facilitate informed purchasing decision-making. Information on prescription medications include side effects, possible drug interactions, and appropriate uses of the medication. DestinationRx also features an automatic insurance formulary verification system that helps consumers determine whether specific prescriptions are covered by their insurance plans. Purchases are made by direct links to the selected vendor's product page.