I’ve recently been exercising bragging rights about our new and improved drug price comparisons. Americans seeking medicine from Canada and other countries are finding better deals on generics right here at home. But the crisis of high drug prices in the U.S. persists when it comes to brand medications. Recent price research by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that brand name drug prices have increased by 76% over just the past six years.

This week, PharmacyChecker released new price analysis showing potential savings for 10 popular patented drugs, comparing U.S. discounted medication prices with those available at accredited international online pharmacies. The average discount from Canadian pharmacies is 75%. If ordering from farther abroad, it’s 90%.

The findings are simultaneously astounding and troubling. Astounding because the price discrepancies between the U.S. other countries just keep growing wider and wider. PharmacyChecker has been tracking prices of Canadian and other international pharmacies for 16 years and the price increases are much lower outside the U.S.

These types of price increases are for the most part unheard of outside the U.S. because foreign governments won’t allow them.

The days of “50% off” on meds in Canada are gone, only to now be replaced with the all-to-common “80% off”!

This is very troubling from a public health standpoint. The excuse by the drug companies that no one pays the full freight of the cost is bull. Potentially 80 million Americans must contend with these out-of-pocket costs: the 30 million uninsured and almost 50 million underinsured.

The savings we’re reporting mean the difference of thousands of dollars per year for middle-class Americans who might otherwise skip their meds.

Examples of Brand Drug Savings:

For all 10 drugs and the full results: More Brand Name Drug Savings