UPDATE 1-CVS offers lower-cost fertility medications

(Adds CVS comments; byline)

By Jessica Wohl

CHICAGO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - CVS Caremark Corp (CVS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it is offering discounts of about 30 percent on fertility treatments to couples struggling with infertility and high medication costs.

The program is aimed at patients who do not have fertility medication health insurance coverage or who have exhausted their benefits for fertility medications.

CVS said about 7.3 million U.S. women and their partners, or about 12 percent of the reproductive-age population, are affected by infertility, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"On average patients will receive about 30 percent off for the cost of their medication," said Joan O'Rourke, vice president of strategic operations at CVS Caremark Specialty Pharmacy.

Patients must pay a $10 fee to enroll in the program, which includes services such as counseling and education.

While the program was launched in February, CVS is promoting it at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine's annual meeting this week.

Under a separate plan launched on Sunday, shoppers can get 90-day prescriptions for more than 400 common generic medications for $9.99 each at CVS drugstores when they pay an annual fee of $10.

About 45.7 million Americans were uninsured in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (Reporting by Jessica Wohl; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)