by PharmacyChecker.com | Oct 23, 2013 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Personal Drug Importation
Buying medication from international online pharmacies received prime attention today in a New York Times article called, “As Drug Costs Rise, Bending The Law Is One Remedy.” The article highlights the prohibitive costs of drugs in the U.S. and also that buying medication online from abroad is a necessary lifeline. And it’s safe, too. Stephen Barrett, M.D., founder of Quack Watch, told the New York Times that he uses PharmacyChecker.com to choose online pharmacies.
Personally importing medication is technically “bending the law” as the New York Times reports (and as PharmacyChecker communicates on its website), but the federal government permits it to the extent that over 99% of international prescription orders reach customers. Furthermore, the FDA states that its enforcement and investigative work is focused on illegal wholesale importation and it has never prosecuted someone for buying medication from Canada or elsewhere for their own use. The FDA has rightfully shutdown rogue online pharmacies but never a reputable online pharmacy, such as those approved in the PharmacyChecker.com program.
Elisabeth Rosenthal, the author of the New York Times article, is responsible for an excellent on-going series about the relatively high cost of healthcare in the U.S. compared to other countries, and what Americans are doing to make sure they get the treatments they need. She’s written about the cost of colonoscopies, pregnancy, joint replacement, and medications. When it comes to medication, the problem is of epic proportions with tens of millions of Americans going without medication due to cost. Hopefully this reporting will encourage our leaders, both at the state and federal levels, to make it even easier for Americans to buy medication from Canada and other countries.
Tagged with: New York Times, Stephen Barrett
by PharmacyChecker.com | Oct 18, 2013 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Pulmicort (budesonide) respules are used to treat asthma in children ages 12 months to 8 years. Pulmicort is manufactured in the U.S. by AstraZeneca. Both the brand name and generic versions (only available for some strengths) are expensive in the U.S. The brand version costs $698 for 60 .25mg/2ml respules, and the generic isn’t much cheaper at $530. Believe it or not, brand-name Pulmicort is only $117 when ordered from a verified international online pharmacy: that’s 83% less than the same medication sold here! Parents of kids with asthma can breathe much more easily at these prices.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, asthma, Pulmicort
by PharmacyChecker.com | Oct 11, 2013 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Acuvail (ketorolac tromethamine ophthalmic solution) is an anti-inflammatory used to treat pain and inflammation following cataract surgery. Acuvail is manufactured in the U.S. by Allergan, but its price is much lower in other countries. It costs $249.99 for 30 single-use vials at a Rite-Aid in New York City. From a verified international online pharmacy, 30 vials costs only $65. That’s a 74% savings!
Tagged with: Acuvail, Allergan, American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad
by PharmacyChecker.com | Oct 4, 2013 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Lotemax (loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension) is a prescription-only medication used for the treatment of steroid-responsive inflammatory conditions of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, cornea, and anterior segment of the globe. It is also used to reduce inflammation following ocular surgery. Lotemax is manufactured in the U.S., but its prices are several times more expensive in pharmacies here compared to those in other countries. You can save 84% by ordering it from a verified foreign online pharmacy: one 5 ml vial of Lotemax costs $188 at a Rite-Aid in New York City, but only $30 from a PharmacyChecker.com-approved pharmacy.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, Lotemax
by PharmacyChecker.com | Sep 30, 2013 | Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform, Online Pharmacies, Politics
Insured Americans, including those on Medicare, too often find that the brand name drugs they are prescribed are not covered by their plans. That population of underinsured Americans may increase under Obamacare. Fortunately, they will find that drug prices offered by international online pharmacies are often 87% lower than their local pharmacies. These prices seem too good to be true, so you might be asking how this is possible. It’s simple: governments in other countries negotiate with drug companies to keep drug prices affordable. Licensed pharmacies in those countries operate online and by mail-order to serve Americans seeking medications sold here at a much lower price. Here are the savings on popular drugs:
Prices for a 3-month supply of top-selling brand name medications*
| Drug |
Local Pharmacy Price |
International Online Pharmacy Price |
International Online Savings |
Annual Dollar Savings |
| Abilify 10 mg+ |
$2,582.97 |
$331.20 |
87.18% |
$9,007.08 |
| Advair Diskus 250-50 mcg |
$1,061.97 |
$108.00 |
89.83% |
$3,815.88 |
| Celebrex 200 mg |
$692.97 |
$104.00 |
84.99% |
$2,355.88 |
| Crestor 20 mg+ |
$713.97 |
$74.00 |
89.64% |
$2,559.88 |
| Cymbalta 60 mg+ |
$878.97 |
$90.00 |
89.76% |
$3,155.88 |
| Diovan 160 mg+ |
$475.99 |
$62.10 |
86.95% |
$1,655.56 |
| Januvia 100 mg+ |
$1,026.00 |
$131.40+ |
87.19% |
$3,578.40 |
| Namenda 10 mg++ |
$1,049.97 |
$210.60 |
79.94% |
$3,357.48 |
| Nexium 40 mg+ |
$878.97 |
$67.50 |
92.32% |
$3,245.88 |
| Spiriva Handihaler 18 mcg |
$1,115.97 |
$132.15 |
88.16% |
$3,935.28 |
| Average |
$1,047.78 |
$131.10 |
87.60% |
$3,666.72 |
*Sources: Local pharmacy — Rite Aid in New York City; International online pharmacies – lowest prices found on www.PharmacyChecker.com from verified websites. +price calculated from 84 pills. ++price calculated from 100 pills.
Obamacare will help tens of millions of Americans afford prescriptions at the local pharmacy next year, and even more so into the future. However, with 21% of insured Americans going without medication due to high drug prices, we’re proud to offer useful information to help people afford the medication they are prescribed to stay healthy, get better, and live longer.
Tagged with: Obamacare, under-insured
by PharmacyChecker.com | Sep 27, 2013 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
Tarceva 150 mg packaging
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Tarceva (erlotinib) is a drug used for treatment of certain types of non-small cell lung cancer as well as pancreatic cancer. Cancer medications are known for their excessively high prices, leading to outcries among doctors within the past few years. A product of drug company Roche, Tarceva is manufactured in the U.S.A. and available at much lower prices from verified international online pharmacies than here at home. At a New York City Rite-Aid, it costs $6,531 for 30 pills (100 mg). From a PharmacyChecker.com approved international pharmacy, it’s only $1,949. That’s a $4,582 savings, or 70%.
Check back next week for the savings on another American drug available abroad.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, Cancer medication, Tarceva
