By: T. Stevens, Medicalsavings.org
It’s not the just the temperatures that are on-average
lower in Canada; so are the prices of prescription drugs
- often 40-50% lower, and some times as much as 80% lower.
With value like that to be had, it was only a matter of
time before savvy American consumers along with a few enterprising
Canadian neighbors, would find a way to import those lower
priced prescriptions to the US safely and conveniently.
Of course, trade between the United States and Canada is
nothing new. Canada is America’s largest trading partner.
More goods and services pass between the US and Canada than
any other country, and over two million jobs in each country
are created as a result. The United States is the largest
foreign investor in Canada, and for Canadians the most popular
country to invest in outside Canada is the United States.
Now one of the fastest growing trade areas is prescription
medications. Why? Very simply: price. The prices of the
exact same medications that people purchase in the United
States are significantly lower in Canada.
Why are these same drugs so much cheaper in Canada? First,
Canada has a socialized health insurance program. Though
individuals and businesses do pay premiums, the government
still guarantees that all Canadians are covered regardless
of income. As such, the government has a very real interest
in keeping the cost of health care down. One of the ways
they do that is by controlling the price of prescription
drugs.
The U.S. government does not “get involved”
in controlling prescription medication costs. So, the large
pharmaceutical companies can charge what ever the market
will bear. So if you, as an American, need their medication,
you’ll pay a lot more for it.
Second, the value of the Canadian Dollar has consistently
been lower than the US dollar. On average, over the last
five years, the American Dollar could purchase 1.52 Canadian
dollars, or about 35% more.
Thanks to these two factors, the price of medications in
Canada can be as much as 80% lower than in the United States.
Of course a bargain like that cannot be kept secret. Eventually
some enterprising Canadian pharmacies and some cost conscious
American consumers started “talking” over the
internet. Thanks to them, the rules of the game have changed
– and today millions of dollars every day are being
saved by Americans buying their prescriptions online and
having them delivered by mail..
As one might imagine, the big manufactures are not too
excited about this phenomenon. In fact, one such company,
Glaxo Pharmaceuticals, threatened to stop supplying medications
to internet pharmacies in Canada all together. To this point
the combined efforts of consumer and pharmacy groups, and
various state and provincial governments, and even Attorneys
General, on both sides of the border have kept the supply
of drugs moving. And if the laws regarding this cross border
enterprise are not very clear, the message certainly is:
Americans are demanding more affordable health care, and
if their government won’t deliver it too them they’ll
have it shipped in from Canada.
And what about those not-very-clear laws? Though the debate
is not completely over in Washington, there has been significant
progress. Recently the U.S.Senate introduced, and overwhelmingly
passed, a bill allowing Americans to buy prescription medications
from Canada. The FDA countered with a “safety”
concern; however Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) quickly countered,
stating the Canadian drug supply chain was virtually identical
to the one in this country. "It's virtually impossible
to make a safety issue out of the proposal,” he said.
Aside from the huge savings accrued by shopping online
from Canada, the simple convenience of having one’s
prescriptions to one’s door is very attractive to
many Americans. Even if there were no discount in price
it is likely that many American consumers would avail themselves
of the services of the internet pharmacies simply to avoid
the hassles of, parking and waiting in line at their local
pharmacy.
If you have decided to try ordering your prescriptions
from Canada, here are a few things you should keep in mind:
- Make sure the Canadian pharmacy requires a prescription
from your doctor. If they do not it is not a legitimate
registered pharmacy
- Your account with a given Canadian pharmacy will take
some time to establish, so make sure you only have to do
it once.
- Find a company that has an active customer service line
so you can easily phone if you have any questions.
- Look for helpful options like automatic renewal.
- Look for a site that is “useable.” A site
that doesn’t “work” well is like a dirty
pharmacy. Stay away.
- Look for an online pharmacy that dispenses from a co-op
of pharmacies rather than a single pharmacy. This reduces
your chance of getting an “out of stock” notice.
This is an important advantage for you as a consumer to
assure that your meds will always be available and to you
on time. So far the only company we’ve found that
uses a pharmacy co-op (and offers guaranteed shipping times)
is www.prescripnet.com
Buying prescription from Canada has not only saved many
Americans enormously on out-of-pocket expenses, it has also
likely saved a lot of lives. One of the most frequent reasons
that patients cite for non-compliance with drug regimens,
is simply that they cannot afford all the drugs they are
prescribed. With typical saving of around 50% available
just a click or a phone call away, many American patients
can now afford to take all the drugs they are prescribed.
For more information on buying prescriptions from Canada,
visit medsexchange.com.
