Americans are speaking out against the provisions of a new law signed by President Obama on July 9th that will hinder their access to safe and affordable medication. In a news story last week on a Minneapolis-St. Paul NBC affiliate, Kare 11, we learn about Minnesotans who could be negatively affected by Section 708 of Food and Drug Administration Innovation and Safety Act, which allows for the seizure and destruction of personally imported medication.
Rico Anderson imports his prescription medicine for Crohn’s disease from Canada, paying $135 for a one month supply. In the U.S., this medicine would cost over $700 a month. That’s almost $7,000 dollars in annual savings. In contemplating having to face higher U.S. prices, Mr. Rico lamented that: “if it gets to a point where you’re deciding if you have to buy your medicine or pay your mortgage or put food on your table what are you going to do?”
The NBC report features Lee Graczyk, lead organizer of RxRights, a prescription affordability advocacy group. Days before the law passed Mr. Graczyk emphasized both the economic and health costs that result from unaffordable medication: “People are using this option because they cannot afford to buy the medications here. If this law passes, they can’t afford to buy the medications and stop taking the medications, they not only put their health at risk, but as a nation, it’s going to cost us more money.”
Visit RxRights.org to learn how Americans can fight back and protect their access to safe personal prescription drug importation from verified online pharmacies.
To compare prices on prescription medication from Canada and other foreign countries visit PharmacyChecker.com.
A new study, reviewed in Medpage Today, finds that seniors falling into the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap, often referred to as the “doughnut hole,” reduced the number of monthly anti-depressant prescriptions they filled by 12.1% compared to those with full coverage. In 2012, Part D plans share drug costs with enrollees up to $2,930. With co-pays, premiums, and deductibles seniors pay about $1,500 up to that point. After $2,930 the doughnut hole begins and plan enrollees pay out-of-pocket until they have spent $4,700 – after which the plans pay for 95% of drug costs.
We’ve previously reported that the doughnut hole is a serious health issue for America’s seniors who are unable to afford needed medication. The new healthcare law offers seniors substantial discounts in the doughnut hole on brand name medications, and by 2020 the doughnut hole will supposedly be closed. The discounts help seniors to access medicine, but the crisis of skipped medicine will persist through the decade. Until then, it’s critical that seniors do not stop taking needed medications.
Medicare enrollees in the doughnut hole face very high drug costs for popular products such as Lexapro, Cymbalta and Abilify, all used to treat depression. These very medications are, on average, 80% less expensive if ordered from the lowest priced verified online pharmacies. See the chart below for price comparisons of verified international online pharmacies and a U.S. bricks and mortar pharmacy.
Prices for Three-month Supplies of Popular Anti-Depressants
Drug
U.S. Bricks and Mortar Pharmacy*
Lowest Pharmacy-Checker.com Listed Price**
Savings Over 3 Months
Percent Savings
Savings Over 1 Year
Abilify 10 mg
$1,881.99
$332.10
$1,549.89
82.35%
$6.199.56
Cymbalta 30 mg
$637.00
$133.20
$503.80
79.09%
$6,199.56
Lexapro 10 mg
$351.00
$84.61
$266.40
75.90%
$1,065.60
Average:
$956.66
$183.30
$773.36
80.84%
$3,093
* Pharmacy in New York City, price collected 7/5/2012
**Lowest price listed on PharmacyChecker.com as of 7/5/2012
Consumers searching for Adderall online should use extreme caution. The FDA announced that it found fake Adderall, a drug for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Narcolepsy, is being sold online. Adderall is a controlled substance, a prescription drug with greater addictive potential and subject to strict regulatory controls. Reputable international online pharmacies, such as those approved in the PharmacyChecker.com Verification Program, do not sell this product or other controlled substances to Americans.
Sales of controlled substances online are governed by the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act, which expressly bans the sale to Americans of controlled substances online from pharmacies that are not registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. The Act also prohibits pharmacies from dispensing controlled medication based only on a remote medical consultation, meaning the patient’s prescription must be the result of an initial physical exam. For more see PharmacyChecker.com: Controlled Substances and Online Pharmacies – Use Extreme Caution.
The FDA did not identify the websites that are selling the fake Adderall. According to the FDA, the fake Adderall contained Tramadol and acetaminophen, which is medication to treat pain. The FDA’s announcement also included pictures of authentic and fake Adderall.
Legitimate Adderall
Counterfeit Adderall
Whether the problem is lack of supplies, which is a current problem for Adderall, or high costs, it is understandable that Americans are trying to find access online to needed medication that they cannot get at their local drugstores. But it’s critical to use common sense and only buy from credentialed online pharmacies. This will enable you to get most medications you need and protect yourself from falling victim to fake and dangerous drugs.
Welcome to PharmacyChecker Blog, brought to you by PharmacyChecker.com:
A source for news and analysis about drug prices and safety, online pharmacies and personal drug importation, published on behalf of American consumers.
