by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Aug 8, 2013 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, Drug Prices
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Restasis (Cyclosporine) is a popular medication used to increase tear production in patients with decreased natural ability to do so, possibly due to Chronic Dry Eye. Restasis is manufactured in the USA by Allergan Inc, and imported and marketed abroad by Allergan India Pvt. Ltd.
The cost for a 60-day supply of Restasis is $394 from a local U.S. pharmacy. From a PharmacyChecker.com verified online pharmacy, the same quantity costs $116. That’s a 71% savings, which adds up to $1,668 over an entire year.
Check back next week for the savings on another American drug available abroad.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, Restasis
by PharmacyChecker.com | Aug 1, 2013 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride), a popular medication for depression, anxiety, and chronic pain, is manufactured in Indiana, U.S.A. and marketed by Eli Lilly. The cost for a 90-day supply of Cymbalta (60 mg) is $878.99 at a local pharmacy in New York City. The cost for a 90-day supply of Cymbalta (60 mg) is $878.99 at a local pharmacy in New York City. From a PharmacyChecker.com verified online pharmacy, the same quantity costs $115.71. From a PharmacyChecker.com verified online pharmacy, the same quantity costs $115.71. That’s an 87% savings for a drug made in the U.S. if purchased abroad. Over the course of one year an American could save $3,053.
Check back next week for the savings on another American drug available abroad.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, Cymbalta, Eli Lilly
by PharmacyChecker.com | Jul 26, 2013 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
Do pharmacies outside the U.S. sell many of the same drugs sold at your local pharmacy? Of course. In fact, a good number are manufactured right here in the U.S. and then distributed for sale in other countries. Americans who buy them internationally can get the same drug but, typically, at a much lower cost.
We thought it would be helpful to identify some of these popular prescription brand medications that Americans personally import online for their own use that are manufactured in the good ol’ USA. We’ll be posting about one such drug each week.
Let’s start with Crestor (40 mg), a cholesterol-lowering drug manufactured by AstraZeneca. The packaging of this product shows that it was manufactured in the United States. The price of Crestor at a local New York City pharmacy for a 3-month supply is $679.99; at one of the international online pharmacies verified by PharmacyChecker.com the price is $140.04 – that’s a 79% savings! Alternatively, if you want to buy locally, you can get it with a free discount card for $538.43. There is no low-cost generic equivalent to Crestor available in the U.S.
Although Federal law technically prohibits Americans from purchasing this American-made drug internationally, no one, according to the FDA, has ever been prosecuted for doing so.
Keep checking our blog to learn about other American-made medications sold by international online pharmacies that require your valid prescription, and the incredible savings they offer. To find all U.S.-manufactured drug products researched for this series click here.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, AstraZeneca, Crestor
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Jul 3, 2013 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, FDA, Online Pharmacies
For those of us looking online for safe and affordable medication, it’s very disconcerting to hear about the problem of fake Canadian online pharmacies, or any fake online pharmacy, and the myriad ways they can endanger your health, such as by sending counterfeit or substandard medication or engaging in identity theft. We can help you avoid the bad guys.
Just last week the FDA reported that – through Operation Pangea VI – thousands of illegal online pharmacies, including fake Canadian ones, were shutdown to protect Americans from dangerous medication. The FDA should be applauded for shutting down dangerous sites. However, even though there are real Canadian and other international online pharmacies that are safe and have very low drug prices, the FDA continues to warn Americans not to use them through its BeSafeRx program. We believe this confuses Americans about what they need to do to obtain prescribed and affordable medication safely online.
A fake Canadian online pharmacy is essentially a website dressed up with the Canadian flag, maple leafs, with red and white colors, or other graphics of Canada, but without actual ties to Canada. In fact, a majority of so called “Canadian” online pharmacies are based overseas, many in Russia and Eastern Europe. Some of them are even known to have ties to organized crime. Simply put, they are not Canadian pharmacies. Like all rogue online pharmacies, fake Canadian online pharmacies often:
- Don’t require prescriptions;
- Don’t publish verifiable and useful contact information;
- Don’t fill orders through licensed pharmacies;
- Don’t sell real or safe medications;
- Don’t have licensed pharmacist dispensing your prescription order; and
- Don’t protect your personal and financial information.
A real Canadian online pharmacy offers the following:
- Regulated medications that are approved by a respected national drug regulatory authority;
- Prescription fulfillment through licensed pharmacies, dispensed by licensed pharmacists;
- Requirement of your valid prescription, issued by your doctor – NOT through an online questionnaire;
- Verifiable contact information, including telephone number and mailing address;
- Online pharmacy operation by or affiliated with a licensed Canadian pharmacy; and
- The ability for consumers to speak with a licensed pharmacist for counseling;.
You can find real Canadian online pharmacies on PharmacyChecker.com. We have verified that they meet critical safety criteria.
There are a small number of real Canadian online pharmacies that no longer work with a Canadian bricks and mortar pharmacy because they have transferred prescription fulfillment to licensed pharmacies in other countries. They retain the Canadian moniker or have the word “Canada” in their web addresses to keep their original branding and website. That doesn’t mean they are not safe. However, they ought to be transparent and disclose that medications ordered come from pharmacies outside of Canada.
This brings up an important side note: where are your medications really coming from and who is making them? When you buy a prescription medication at your local U.S. pharmacy that does not mean it was made in the United States. Almost half of all prescription drugs sold in U.S. pharmacies are imported. Furthermore, U.S. pharmacies do not inform you who made the active ingredients (the main ingredient that treats you) – in the medication you are taking. Most active pharmaceutical ingredients – 80% according to the FDA – found in U.S. pharmacy prescription drugs are made outside the U.S., mostly in India and China. If you buy a prescription drug from Canada and most other countries the same holds true. Don’t despair, the U.S. and many other countries have strong safety protocols to protect their prescription drug supplies: those same supplies usually just cost much more in the United States.
Here’s a chart to show you the difference between real and fake Canadian online pharmacies. As you’ll see it’s like day and night:
|
Real Canadian Online Pharmacies |
Fake Canadian Online Pharmacies |
| Sells only regulated medication? |
YES |
NO |
| Prescription fulfilled through licensed pharmacies and by licensed pharmacists? |
YES |
NO |
| Requires your valid prescription? |
YES |
NO |
| Provides verifiable contact information? |
YES |
NO |
| Protects your privacy? |
YES |
NO |
| Does not send you spam? |
YES |
NO |
| Is owned by or works with a Canadian pharmacy? |
YES |
NO |
Tagged with: Canadian Pharmacy, fake online pharmacy
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Jun 27, 2013 | Drug Importation, Personal Drug Importation, Politics
PharmacyChecker.com posted the following press release today. Click here to read it on PharmacyChecker.com
Maine Becomes First State to Legalize Prescription Drug Importation
— PharmacyChecker.com Applauds Historic Law and Helps Consumers to Shop Safely for Medication —
White Plains, New York – Thursday, June 27, 2013 – Today, Maine became the first state to legalize the importation of prescription drugs by individuals, allowing its residents to reduce the cost of obtaining expensive prescription medications by as much as 90%.
“Americans have accessed medication internationally for over the past decade but federal prohibitions on personal drug importation, while not enforced against individuals, have deterred millions. With that regulatory weight lifted in Maine and with proper guidance, more Americans will have access to safe and affordable medication,” said Gabriel Levitt, vice president of PharmacyChecker.com, a consumer website which evaluates the credentials of online pharmacies and provides drug price comparisons.
The Maine legislature overwhelmingly voted in favor of the law, which permits its residents to personally import prescription medication from licensed pharmacies in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Maine’s House voted 107-37 in favor of the bill, with seven members absent; the Senate voted 30-4, with one member excused. The bill became law at midnight last night in the absence of a veto or signature by Governor Paul LePage. The bill, LD 171, “An Act To Facilitate the Personal Importation of Prescription Drugs from International Mail Order Prescription Pharmacies,” passed as amendment S-241.
Although several states adopted state-run drug importation programs almost a decade ago, most fell by the wayside because state governments did not widely market the programs. The State of the Kansas, under then Governor Kathleen Sebelius, provided a state web page helping residents access verified international pharmacies online. Ms. Sebelius is now Secretary of Health and Human Services. Maine, however, becomes the first state to formally legalize direct personal drug importation.
Research from the Commonwealth Fund has shown that 50 million Americans are not getting needed medication due to the high price of medications at U.S. pharmacies. “The State of Maine has resoundingly declared that this state of affairs is unacceptable,” added Mr. Levitt.
Founded by Tod Cooperman, M.D. in 2003, PharmacyChecker.com helps consumers safely save money on medication by identifying the lowest drug prices from reputable online pharmacies. It independently checks the credentials of online pharmacies and pharmacy discount cards providing easy comparisons of drug prices. PharmacyChecker.com, based in New York, is privately held with no ownership in or from companies that sell or distribute pharmacy products.
Tagged with: HHS, Kathleen Sebelius, Maine
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Jun 7, 2013 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, Personal Drug Importation
Among citizens of high-income countries, Americans are exceptional in their struggle to afford medication. Citizens of Japan, for example, do not have to skip medication because of its price, or at least such instances are exceedingly rare. Compare that to 50 million Americans going without a prescription each year due to cost. It’s an obvious reason why so many Americans, relative to non-Americans, are searching online for prescription medication from other countries. Fortunately, they can compare drug prices among safe online pharmacies and avoid rogue sites.
For chronic conditions – even medically expensive ones like cancer and AIDS – citizens of high income countries, except America, almost never need to access an international online pharmacy because the medication at their local pharmacy is affordable. An excellent documentary on PBS shows just how affordable medical and pharmaceutical care is in Japan. This is not to endorse another countries’ healthcare system but to clearly identify and remind our readers that high drug prices as a barrier to care is a unique American crisis among rich countries.
When consumers outside America go online to buy medication, it’s usually to purchase lifestyle drugs, such as medication for erectile dysfunction or hair loss. Due to the nature of these products, some consumers would prefer anonymity by skipping the doctor’s visit to get a prescription and instead purchase them from rogue online pharmacies without a prescription. Rogue online pharmacies are more likely to sell counterfeit and substandard products, and making all consumers aware of this protects their health. Since cost is a barrier to medication for so many Americans, making them aware of lower cost alternatives internationally is good for their health, too.
How big are the overall price differences between countries? A chart from 2005 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), showing international drug price disparities, is very revealing. It shows that the U.S. spends about twice as much per person than the average for OECD countries. Since international drug price disparities have grown considerably since 2005 on brand name drugs, the disparity between American drug prices and international has grown more severe.
Drug prices are lower internationally primarily because foreign governments control pharmaceutical prices through a variety of policy interventions. For most prescription medications, particularly for maintenance conditions, this mitigates the need to seek out lower prices online internationally. In America the need persists more so than ever.
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
