Drugs from Canada and the Canadian Pharmacy Issue

 There is a growing urgency in the U.S. regarding two fundamental issues: health care coverage and the high cost of prescription medications. Simply put, many Americans, especially those without health insurance or without a prescription drug benefit, cannot easily afford their medications. And to get them, they must choose between buying their prescriptions and paying for basic necessities.

Why, in allegedly the most prosperous nation on earth, does this situation exist? The answer is COST. Americans pay more for their drugs than citizens of comparable nations.

In fact, in stark contrast to Canada where the canadian government has negotiated huge savings for its citizens, the U.S. government has shown no similar interest in helping its own citizenry. The approach used by Canada, of course, seems wiser and more beneficial: Canadians save forty to ninety percent off the cost of their prescription drugs.

Why has the U.S. government been less proactive on this issue than the leadership in Canada?

Cash and politics may comprise the answer. Through intense lobbying efforts, drug manufacturers have successfully "sold" the idea that a higher drug cost for Americans (versus Canadians) is an acceptable way to reduce the cost of developing new drugs and medicines.

But is this fair? That U.S. citizens should bear this burden for the rest of the world? Few would argue that it is.

 But, because the situation does exist, Americans who live on a fixed income (senior citizens and the disabled) or no longer have health insurance, or who lack a prescription drug benefit in their health coverage, must often choose between buying their medications or...take your pick: paying the light bill, getting groceries, or paying the rent or mortgage on time.

That Washington will not address the spiraling cost of prescription medications is disappointing. But what is significantly more troubling about the government's stance is the FDA’s rationale for resisting drugs from Canada via Canadian internet pharmacies.

What is the FDA's position ? It revolves around the safety of canadian pharmaceuticals, with the clear intimation being that canadian drugs are not as safe as drugs sold within U.S. borders. However, in 2004, the GAO (government accountability office) found in its investigation of 60 internet pharmacies that canadian pharmacies had fewer problems than their U.S. counterparts. And according to Paul Doering of the University of Florida college of pharmacy, the FDA’s director of pharmacy affairs, when asked, was not able to provide one instance of someone being harmed by drugs from Canada.

Given such facts, one has to wonder why Washington is so opposed to the idea of drugs being ordered from pharmacies in Canada. Again, cash and politics would seem to supply the answers.

U. S. drug makers, despite their claims of losing money, are actually making tons of money. In fact, as the prices of drugs increased for patients (a four-year long AARP study found that 155 name brand drugs increased in price by an average of 27.6 percent), medicine companies posted sizeable profits. Much of that profit was due to a higher drug cost for Americans. This is not something that medicine conglomerates would voluntarily like to give up.

Fortunately, despite the FDA’s disdain for U.S. citizens ordering online from pharmacies based in Canada, Americans may still do this and enjoy significant savings on their prescription medications. Under the “personal use” exemption, Americans with valid prescriptions may order, at any one time, up to a 90-day supply of their prescribed medications from Canada.

How does a person know that the canadian pharmacy they are ordering from is safe and reliable? The squaretrade licensed pharmacy program has made it easier to discern which pharmacies you should buy from. In a partnership with the NCPA, or national community pharmacists association, the Squaretrade company certifies whether or not an internet pharmacy has met the standards of a "brick and mortar" pharmacy. Pharmacies that meet this standard receive the squaretrade seal of approval which is plainly visible on the front page of every squaretrade-certified site.