PharmacyChecker Blog

Helping Americans Get The Truth About Prescription Drug Savings
Published by:

LegitScript, John Horton, Lies, and the Mission to End Online Access to Safe and Affordable Medication

LegitScript is again disseminating misinformation to discredit PharmacyChecker.com and its mission to help consumers safely access affordable medication, and we can bet that the very powerful pharmaceutical company interests LegitScript allies with are enjoying its efforts.

This week, LegitScipt’s John Horton blogged with apparent glee about charges by the U.S Attorney’s Office for Western Pennsylvania implicating several Canadian individuals and their company, Quantum Solutions, for allegedly exporting wholesale quantities of medications manufactured for foreign markets to U.S. pharmacists between 2007 and 2011.

Horton makes the mistake of saying that the case involved charges against an internet pharmacy certified by PharmacyChecker, but this is not the case.  No online pharmacy is charged in the case, let alone any online pharmacy verified by PharmacyChecker.

Horton also states that the case involved the shipment of “bad” medicine, but there is nothing in the court documents indicating a problem with the quality of any of medications. Their labeling was apparently for the countries where they were being sold, which makes them “misbranded” if sold in the U.S. but not “bad” medicine. The drugs involved were expensive brand name drugs like Abilify, Zyprexa, and Plavix, costing hundreds of dollars per month in the U.S. but normally 80-90% lower in price outside the U.S. — which is likely what motivated the U.S. pharmacists to allegedly purchase the medication from abroad.

John Horton’s blog shows that in the world of online pharmacies, one party you can’t trust for reliable information is John Horton.

A very strange thing about the government’s filing in this case is an attachment listing website domains, a few of which are for international online pharmacies verified in our program.  There is no claim of wrongdoing by any of these sites. The filing explains that these website addresses are property which the U.S. government seeks to have forfeited by the defendants in the event of a conviction, as the addresses may have been purchased with proceeds of the alleged offense. Certainly there are other assets owned by the defendants that our government could seek, so why focus on these uninvolved websites? It would seem that if these websites were taken by the government, the public would lose access to several safe, low-cost pharmacies.

Not surprisingly, John Horton misrepresents at least one of these pharmacies as being “the subject of today’s criminal charges” (more lies). Horton goes further by posting this list of websites to his blog in what we see as an attempt to smear the reputations of these uninvolved sites and part of his ongoing tactics to scare Americans away from safe and affordable medication and keep us hostage to inflated drug prices at home.

Share
Tagged with: , ,

More Free Medicine Across America…So Merry Christmas

2015 is drawing to a close, a year that the Chicago Tribune is calling “the year of drug price outrage.” Right now many American consumers are struggling to pay for their medication and not feeling a lot of holiday cheer.

We mentioned last week, some pharmacies are actually giving away select medications for free. Publix is one place where you can get medications such as Amlodipine, Lisinopril and Metformin for free. Unfortunately, Publix stores are located only in the Southeast United States. What if you live in some other state? Last week we said we’d come back to you with more reporting on this free medicine business in 2016 – but we couldn’t wait to start.

If you live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia or Maryland, you might live near a Giant Eagle Supermarket. Giant Eagle offers free antibiotics such as Amoxicillin, Cephalexin and Ciprofloxacin. You just need to sign up for their “Giant Eagle Advantage” discount card.

Folks in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky who shop at Meijer Stores can get the diabetes drug Metformin, the cholesterol medication Atorvastatin, pre-natal vitamins or a 14-day supply of antibiotic free.

As for the Northeast, ShopRite Markets in New York and New Jersey has a free 30-day supply of diabetes medication.  And Price Chopper (found in Upstate New York and New England) is another chain whose pharmacies offer free antibiotics and free diabetes medications (Glimepiride, Glipizide and Metformin).

Pharmacists at these stores don’t wear red suits and hand out presents, and yes, these programs exist to bring in customers who will fill other prescriptions and spend money on impulse items, like holiday candy and last-minute gifts. But hey, I’d like to think these companies genuinely care about their customers’ well-being and that they believe it’s important to give as well as receive. So Merry Christmas from PharmacyChecker!

Santa Claus

 

Share
Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Can You Find Free Prescription Medication in the U.S.? Going Publix…

Close up of dollar billI’m talking about super-sized supermarket Publix, which operates over 1000 stores throughout the Southeastern U.S. Sure, it’s not the only superstore to offer this but I happened to come across its Free Medication Program while researching drug prices today: and I want to talk about it.

There’s a lot of yelling and screaming and downright hostility toward the pharmaceutical industry (much of it warranted), including against generic drug companies, who are under scrutiny because some old generics have increased in price by thousands of percent. So here’s a little relief…free medication.

The list is not long but the following drugs are free at Publix pharmacies: Amlodipine, Lisinopril, and Metformin. Bring your script and walk out with a 90 day supply free. If you’re prescribed a 14-day antibiotic treatment of Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim, Ciprofloxacin (but not its XR version) and Penicillin VK – free at Public Pharmacies.

Now most of us don’t live near a Publix. Very low cost and free drug programs at U.S. retailers and chain pharmacies were launched almost a decade ago when Walmart announced its $4 prescription drug programs. The programs are still around and a report is long overdue about them. I promise to bring you a broader list of these free medication programs in the New Year.

Why would a pharmacy offer medications for free? If you’re looking for a full explanation, here’s some good journalism in Toledo’s The Blaze from 2006. It has something to do with the medication being a “loss leader” for the company. Then again, who cares – the meds are free.

 

 

Share
Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,