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 | Nov 16, 2012 | Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, Prescription Drug Reports
Crestor is one of the most popular cholesterol lowering medications in a group of drugs called statins. It treats a variety of conditions, including hyperlipidemia, mixed dyslipidemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. In 2011, Crestor was the second most popular statin by spending in the U.S. Americans spent $4.4 billion dollars on it. The first was Lipitor on which Americans spent $7.7 billion dollars. You can save thousands of dollars a year by shopping for Crestor online.
Even though Lipitor is now available in a cheaper generic form, the same is not true for Crestor. It will remain expensive, and many Americans will face high prices for Crestor at the pharmacy.
At a local U.S. pharmacy, 90 pills of Crestor 10 mg cost over $600; at the lowest-priced international online pharmacy it’s only $52.20 — a 92% savings. Over one year, that’s just over $2,300!
If you can’t wait a few weeks for the shipping and delivery of your medicine, then you should look for discounts at your local pharmacy. We found that using a drug discount card can save you 29%, and a drug coupon can save you 39%. Check out our table below to see the savings.
If you need your medicine immediately, use either the discount card or coupon. When it comes time to refill, you could order through an international online pharmacy. Just make sure it’s PharmacyChecker.com approved. No matter what you do, don’t stop taking your physician-prescribed medicine.
Savings on 90 Pills of Crestor 10 mg
| Program |
Price |
Savings over Local Pharmacy |
Percent savings |
| U.S. Local Pharmacy |
$632.97 |
— |
— |
| Discount Card Option |
$471.71 |
$161.26 |
25% |
| Discount Coupon Option |
$388.23 |
$244.74 |
39% |
| U.S. Online Pharmacy |
$472.26 |
$160.71 |
25% |
| International Online Pharmacy |
$52.20 |
$580.77 |
92% |
Local pharmacy in New York City, International Online Pharmacy price as found on PharmacyChecker.com. Prices collected 11/26/2012. International Online Pharmacy prices calculated from 84 pills.
If you are looking for Crestor in other strengths, look at these pricing charts:
Crestor 5 mg
Crestor 10 mg
Crestor 20 mg
Crestor 40 mg
Tagged with: Crestor, Drug Prices, international online pharmacies, Online Pharmacies
