by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Nov 30, 2012 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
A new report from Express Scripts, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers, shows that between September 2011 and September 2012, U.S. brand name prescription drug prices increased 13.3% — over six times the rate of inflation, which was only 2%.
What does this mean for American consumers? The answer is not simply that Americans will pay more for their medicine, increasing the profits of drug companies. It’s even more depressing than that. Tens of millions of Americans either do not fill or take prescribed medications due to cost, and an estimated 25 million Americans report becoming sicker because of it. With higher drug prices, we expect incidences of illness and hospitalizations to rise, with costs passed on to the American taxpayer. We lose as both patients and taxpayers, and the costs are staggering: a New England Health Institute report estimates prescription non-adherence costs to be almost $300 billion.
Americans who cannot afford these rising prices can access safe international online pharmacies to avoid going without needed medication. In contrast to rising drug prices in America, brand prices at these international pharmacies have actually decreased. Our latest drug price analysis shows that the savings available through these online pharmacies – on brand name drugs – have increased from March 2011. Today, online savings are 85%; in March of last year, they were 80%. More Americans taking needed medication will mean less sickness and hospitalizations that end up increasing healthcare costs funded by us, the taxpayers.
If you choose to order from an international online pharmacy, make sure it is safe. Pharmacies approved by PharmacyChecker.com are licensed, have licensed pharmacists, and require prescriptions. Look for the PharmacyChecker.com seal of approval, seen below, and make sure it links to a profile hosted by PharmacyChecker.com.
[Click seal for sample profile hosted on PharmacyChecker.com].
Tagged with: affordable prescriptions, Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies
by PharmacyChecker.com | Nov 20, 2012 | Drug Importation, Online Pharmacies, Saving Money on Prescription Drugs
Safe online pharmacies outside the U.S. sell popular brand name medicine at prices that average 85% lower than American pharmacies, according to our new analysis of online and local U.S. pharmacy prices. The analysis compares cash prices for top-selling brand name medications in the U.S. to prices for the same medicines abroad. All international online pharmacies in the study are licensed and require prescriptions.
The savings ranged from 82% for Celebrex to 91% for Nexium. Annual dollar savings averaged just over $3,000. The study noted the rising costs of prescription drugs in America and, perhaps surprisingly, the fact that these same drugs are becoming cheaper abroad. Average savings have increased from 80% in March, 2011.
For more information, view the press release. To view price comparisons among online pharmacies, visit PharmacyChecker.com.
Tagged with: affordable prescriptions, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, personal drug importation
by PharmacyChecker.com | Oct 24, 2012 | Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, Prescription Drug Reports
Abilify is a top selling brand name medication used to treat a variety of conditions for various age groups, including schizophrenia for ages 13 and older, bipolar I disorder for ages 10 and over, and major depressive disorder in adults. Unfortunately, it’s a very expensive drug, but luckily there are ways to save thousands of dollars a year.
In 2011, Americans spent over 5.2 billion dollars on Abilify. Its cash price at a local pharmacy for a three-month’s supply of 10 milligram tablets is just over $2,200. Luckily, if you’re looking for Abilify and don’t have insurance (or if your insurance doesn’t cover it) you don’t have to pay this high price! The savings are by far greatest online, but if you need your medicine immediately and can’t wait 2-3 weeks for shipping, you can use a coupon or discount card at your local pharmacy.
By using a coupon at your local pharmacy, you can save about 16%, bringing the 90 day cost down to $1,858. Using a discount card brings slightly better savings at 22% and a 90 day cost of $1,737.
That’s still a lot of money to spend per year on medication. By ordering through an international online pharmacy, you can save 85%, and spend only $330 over 90 days. The annualized potential savings are $7,535! Here’s a handy chart that shows the savings:
Three-Month’s Supply of Abilify (10 mg) Cost
|
Price |
Savings over Local Pharmacy |
Percent Savings |
| Local Pharmacy: |
$2,214 |
– |
– |
| Discount Card Option: |
$1,737 |
$477 |
22% |
| Coupon Option |
$1,858 |
$356 |
16% |
| U.S. Online Pharmacy: |
$1,778 |
$436 |
20% |
| International Online Pharmacy |
$330 |
$1,184 |
81% |
Local pharmacy in New York City, International Online Pharmacy price as found on PharmacyChecker.com. Prices collected 10/24/2012
If you choose to order online, make sure the pharmacy is verified as safe by a third party, such as those listed on PharmacyChecker.com. Here are links to our price comparisons for the different strengths of Abilify:
Tagged with: Abilify, affordable prescriptions, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
