by PharmacyChecker.com | Mar 30, 2012 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, Online Pharmacy Verification Services, Saving Money on Prescription Drugs
A new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that pharmacies approved in the PharmacyChecker.com Verification Program sell safe medication and can help Americans achieve substantial savings. By filling 370 prescriptions through 41 online pharmacies and testing the authenticity of the medications received, independent researchers from the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. found no test failures among online pharmacies verified by third-party verifiers, such as PharmacyChecker.com.
Since all online pharmacies approved by PharmacyChecker.com – whether American or foreign – are licensed, require a prescription, and meet high standards of online pharmacy safety, the results of this study are not the least bit surprising. Past studies have shown the exact same results. Still, the FDA ignores the facts and continues a consumer education policy recommending that Americans completely avoid non-US online pharmacies. We believe the FDA’s policy is unethical and unfair. More importantly, its policy is bad for the public health because less access to affordable prescription drugs means fewer Americans will procure needed medications.
For more on this study see our news release.
Tagged with: affordable prescriptions, Drug Prices, international pharmacies, Online Pharmacies, pharmacychecker.com
by PharmacyChecker.com | Dec 2, 2011 | Drug Prices, Generic drugs
Generic Lipitor, called atorvastatin, is now available in U.S. pharmacies but PharmacyChecker.com price data shows that it’s actually far more expensive than brand name Lipitor sold abroad. The bottom line with Lipitor and atorvastatin is that for the insured with pharmacy benefits, co-payments for Lipitor, whether brand or generic, will now be very low. But if you must pay for your prescription drugs out of pocket, you can save approximately 70% buying the brand name drug from international online pharmacies instead of the generic drug domestically. It can mean the difference of annual payments of $1300 for the generic product vs. $400 for the brand name.
Source data: PharmacyChecker.com Lipitor Price Comparisons
For more see our press release from yesterday: Generic Lipitor Still More Expensive Than Brand Name Lipitor in Other Countries.
Tagged with: brand, comparisons, drug coverage, generic drugs, Lipitor, Pfiizer, pharmacychecker.com, press release, price data, U.S. pharmacy
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Nov 23, 2011 | Counterfeit Drugs, Online Pharmacies
A bill was introduced in the House of Representatives last week that would make repeat counterfeit drug offenders subject to 20-year maximum jail-terms with $4 million fines for individuals and $10 million if the defendant is an entity. PharmacyChecker.com applauds the introduction of H.R.3468, Counterfeit Drug Penalty Act of 2011, as we believe, if passed, it will act as a deterrent against individuals and businesses who endanger the public health by manufacturing and selling medication that is not subject to government regulations and oversight at best, and deadly at worst.
We also recognize that the bill’s language is clear not to blur the distinction between counterfeit and safe imported medication. The bill states:
Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to apply to a drug (as defined in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321)) solely because the drug is manufactured in or imported from a foreign country.
In contrast, the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act, now before Congress, defines all personally imported medicine, including genuine medication as a threat to the “public health.” This should be opposed. This language appears based on the lobbying rhetoric of the pharmaceutical industry to confuse lawmakers and consumers into believing the false proposition that all personally imported medicine purchased through online pharmacies is counterfeit. Thus, it’s a positive development that H.R. 3468 is crystal clear about the difference between counterfeit and imported drugs.
Stopping drug counterfeiters, whether they infiltrate the domestic supply chain by selling products to U.S. pharmacies or export dangerous drugs ordered online directly to Americans, protects the public health. The Counterfeit Drug Penalty Act seems to go after the real bad guys while not interfering with access to safe and affordable imported medicine and we hope it passes soon.
Tagged with: 21 U.S.C. 321, amendment, and Cosmetic Act, Congress, Counterfeit Drug Penalty Act of 2011, Counterfeit Drugs, counterfeiters, Drug, Federal Food, foreign, H.R. 3468, House of Representatives, importation, pharmacychecker.com, public health, Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act, supply chain
