It's becoming a crisis: Many Tri-Staters can no longer afford there prescription medicaine.
"I have no prescription coverage, everything buy comes out of my pocket"
JAMES, WHO ASKED THAT WE NOT USE HIS LAST NAME, SAYS HIS BLOOD PRESSURE DRUGS WERE COSTING TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR.
SO LIKE A GROWING NUMBER OF AMERICANS, HE'S HEADING FOR THE BORDER: THE CANADIAN BORDER.
HE'S NOT DRIVING, BUT RATHER MAIL ORDERING HIS PRESCRIPTIONS FOR BIG SAVINGS.
James says: "I save about 44 percent., which is well over 200 dollars every 3 months."
"Good afternoon, Canadameds, Susanna speaking!"
WELCOME TO CANADA.
THIS IS CANADA MEDS, ONE OF DOZENS OF PHARMACIES NOW SELLING PRESCRIPTION DRUGS TO AMERICANS.
THE SAVINGS ARE REAL, ACCORDING TO THIS RECENT PRICE SURVEY BY THE VERMONT PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP.
-A REFILL OF TOMOXIFEN, A CANCER DRUG, 65 DOLLARS IN THE US, 9 DOLLARS IN CANADA.
-PRILOSEC, FOR ULCERS, 212 DOLLARS US, 53 DOLLARS CANADA.
-ZOCOR, FOR CHOLESTEROL, 70 DOLLARS US, 30 DOLLARS CANADA.
YOU CAN THANK TO CANADIAN GOVERNMENT PRICE CONTROLS.
John Matarese says: "THIS RUN FOR THE BORDER RAISES TWO BIG QUESTION: ONE, ARE THE DRUGS SAFE.
AND TWO, IS THIS LEGAL?"
Yes it is, its 100 percent legal.
IT'S O-K THANKS TO A LOOPHOLE IN U-S LAW.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO A NUMBER OF EXPERTS, INCLUDING FORMER OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE SHERROD BROWN, NOW A CLEVELAND CONGRESSMAN.
THE LOOPHOLE? A CANADIAN DOCTOR HAS TO WRITE THE PRESCRIPTION, BASED ONLY ON A MAIL-IN QUESTIONNAIRE.
Daren Jorgenson says: "The Canadian physician reviews the application for the medication, and determines if the patients should have it."
BUT THAT LEADS TO THE SAFETY QUESTION.
CINCINNATI PHARMACIST MIMI HART SAYS A DOCTOR YOU DON'T KNOW IS WRITING A PRESCRIPTION WITHOUT SEEING YOU
PLUS, SHE SAYS, PATIENTS CAN'T BE SURE IF THE MEDICINE IS CORRECT, OR THE PROPER DOSAGE.
Mimi Hart says: "They assume all of the the risk. There's no one to go back to and say this medication was bad, I don't think I got what I was supposed to get."
BUT JAMES SAYS THE ONLY OTHER OPTION IS SKIPPING HIS MEDICATION.... SO HE'S TAKING THE RISK.
I WISH I COULD RECOMMEND SOME SPECIFIC PHARMACIES.
UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T GUARANTEE THE SAFETY OF ANY OF THESE CANADIAN DRUGSTORES, SO FOR LEGAL REASONS, I CAN'T MAKE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS.
BUT YOU CAN FIND THESE PHARMACIES IF YOU SEARCH THE INTERNET.
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