Increasingly frustrated with the state of drug costs in the U.S., millions
of Americans have found refuge in ordering necessary prescription medications
online from Canadian or other international pharmacies for roughly a tenth the cost
of those at their local Walgreens, CVS, or other pharmacy.
For many years, consumers have been relieved to find the international savings
option after a simple search on Google or Bing. Among top search results for the
words “online pharmacies,” there was a list of the
safest international online pharmacies that sell to consumers in the U.S. and
also facts about the benefits
and risks of online pharmacies, including obtaining lower cost medication
from licensed pharmacies abroad. That is, until recently.
Unfortunately, we know that Google and Bing are working with Big
Pharma funded groups and programs. We believe this has led to censorship of
affordable medication access on the Internet.
Last summer we reported on the prohibitive costs of AIDS and H.I.V. drugs in America. Due to high drug prices, plus overcrowded and inefficient AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, individuals suffering from these diseases live in fear, not knowing if they will get the meds they need. Sadly, the problem has gotten worse.
A recent discussion on an AIDS/H.I.V. community web forum is what caught our attention. In that forum’s thread entitled “Links to Stop White House from Blocking Online Pharmacies”, outspoken members have voiced outrage over recent price hikes of critical HIV medications.
As reported by the AIDS and H.I.V. advocacy website and monthly magazine POZ.com, Gilead Sciences, a major manufacturer of AIDS and H.I.V. prescription drugs, has increased prices for its top HIV medications. “Atripla increased by 5.1 percent, and Truvada and Emtriva increased by 7.9 percent.” Comparing prices for these drugs at a local New York bricks and mortar pharmacy to licensed and verified foreign pharmacies, one finds substantial price discrepancies:
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