Albertsons accused of selling prescription data

SAN DIEGO – A consumer advocacy group has sued Albertsons Inc., alleging the supermarket chain sells prescription information to drug companies without alerting customers.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse accuses Albertsons and its pharmacy units – SavOn Drug Stores, Osco Drug and Jewel Osco – of sharing customer names, addresses, phone numbers and prescribed medications. That information is allegedly used to solicit customers by mail or over the phone.

The suit, filed without fanfare in May in San Diego Superior Court, asks that Albertsons end the alleged practice and seeks unspecified monetary damages for unfair business practices and deceptive advertising.

Albertsons denied the allegations Thursday. “We highly value and respect the privacy of our pharmacy customers and do not sell, nor have we ever sold, their private information,” said Karen Ramos, a company spokeswoman. “We consider the allegations in this complaint to be false and totally without merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves.”

The lawsuit also names 18 drug companies, including GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Eli Lilly & Co., Merck & Co., Novartis AG, Wyeth Corp. and AstraZeneca PLC.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a San Diego-based group, says drug makers used the information to urge customers to renew prescriptions or switch to other medications. One example cited in the lawsuit alleged that Albertsons worked with AstraZeneca to persuade customers to buy Nexium when the drug company’s patent expired on another heartburn medication.

Albertsons is based in Boise.