by PharmacyChecker.com | Oct 25, 2013 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Singulair 4 mg oral granules (montelukast) are used to treat asthma in pediatric patients. Brand-name Singulair is manufactured in the U.S. by Merck, but it is available for much lower prices in other countries. Brand-name Singulair from a verified international online pharmacy is even cheaper than the generic here! At a New York City pharmacy, 90 units of Singulair costs $731.99 and the generic is $458.99. From a PharmacyChecker.com approved international pharmacy, it costs only $176. That’s a 76% savings.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, asthma, Singulair
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 15, 2013 | Medicare Drug Plans
Part D enrollment begins today and there are loads of drug plan changes you should be aware of. Our website MedicareDrugPlans.com can help you navigate them.
A new analysis from eHealth Inc. has found that 78% of Medicare beneficiaries did not compare prices on prescription drugs when shopping for Medicare Drug Plans during open enrollment for 2013. This is bad news for consumers, as not all Medicare Drug Plans are created equal! The average Medicare beneficiary could have saved $600 in 2013 by shopping smartly.
Not only do different drug plans set different deductibles and premiums, but they also cover different drugs. You need to find the plan with the lowest cost dependent on your needs. A low deductible and premium doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t cover the drugs that you take. Odds are, according to eHealth, that you can save money by switching plans.
If you are happy with your current plan, you should still compare plans, as your plan may not be, well, current. Deductibles and premiums change. Your plan’s donut hole (coverage gap), preferred pharmacy, or formulary can change. It’s also possible that your plan will be merged with another plan or won’t even exist in 2014, in which case you may be transferred to another plan. The possibilities for change are endless!
Head over to MedicareDrugPlans.com to view 2014 plans, and find the plan that is best for you. Then head over to the government’s site, Medicare.gov, which is the best place to actually enroll in your plan.
Tagged with: medicaredruglans.com, Open Enrollment
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Oct 11, 2013 | Medicare Drug Plans
October 15th is just around the corner, which means that it’s time for open enrollment for Medicare Part D drug plans. If you are eligible and want to sign up for or change your plan, you have until December 7th to do so.
Comparing plans is no easy task. First, you need to consider a plan’s drug coverage to make sure it covers the meds you take, and then its costs. Then there are monthly premiums and deductibles. And then there’s the stuff you can’t figure out based only on numbers: Is your plan accepted at your local pharmacy? Do you need to use a mail order pharmacy? How is the customer service?
Luckily, our sister site MedicareDrugplans.com can help you evaluate those questions. It lets you compare deductibles, monthly premiums, and coverage during the “donut hole”. More importantly, you can look at drug plan reviews and ratings written by your peers, which can reveal more subtle problems with plans, such as poor wait times for customer service, unexpected formulary changes, or dissatisfaction with mail-order pharmacy options.
For some examples, read what consumers in Florida are saying in Florida about the AARP MedicareRx Enhanced plan:
2011: “Medication I need was suddenly pulled from the formulary and AARP won’t even consider it with doctor’s intervention. They care less about patient care and more about the bottom line.”
2012: “The co-pay is more than what I would pay with plain medicare.”
2013: “Takes too long to get prescriptions from mail order; too many additional authorizations from doctors who are too busy to deal with this extra paperwork.”
Please know that these are just a few examples of reviews and that some people may have benefited greatly from this plan. It could be no worse than most others and better than some, but the complaints are representative of those we’ve found written about many plans.
Once you’ve viewed ratings and reviews, and even written one yourself, head over to Medicare.gov to make sure the plan covers your meds, compare final costs, and then sign up for the right plan. The average premium nationally is $53.80, and the maximum annual deductible is $310, down $15 from last year.
Research and choose your plan carefully. Whatever plan you go with will start January 1st, 2013 and last for a full year – so make it the right one for you! Visit MedicareDrugPlans.com today.
Tagged with: Medicare Part D
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
