Online Prescriptions
Hundreds of people right here in the Tennessee Valley have to choose between buying groceries and prescription medications. What if you found out you could save pennies on the dollar for the same drugs just by going online and ordering your medications from Canada? It's perfectly legal, and more people are starting to make the net their local pharmacy. When she's not visiting her granddaughter or traveling with her husband, Carolyn Churee spends a lot of her time at her computer. Her connection to the internet actually helps to keep her healthy, and keeps her from going broke. Carolyn has diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and psoriasis so she has to take a handful of medication on a daily basis, which can get expensive. "I spend almost $500 a month on prescription drugs." When Carolyn's husband retired, his health insurance company dropped their coverage. They were able to buy a small, restricted policy, but it's not enough to cover the cost of Carolyn's prescriptions. That's when she began searching the internet for ways to save money on her medication. Her search lead her to Canadameds.com. "I can save about $250 a month on prescription drugs."
Canadameds is one of several online Canadian pharmacies that claim to be able to save you anywhere from 10 to 80-percent on prescription medications, and it's perfectly legal. "We've crossed all the i's and t's and everything else." Manny Morry is a Pharmacist for Canadameds. He says they're able to sell Americans prescription medication at cheaper prices because Canada has a price control over what they will allow pharmacies to charge customers. Therefore, the country also controls what pharmaceutical companies can charge Canadian pharmacies. Translation, American pharmaceutical companies sell the same drugs to Canada they sell to American pharmacies, just at a cheaper price. And more and more Americans searching the web are discovering they can save money. "Typical patients, most likely a senior who does not have greatest income or adequate prescription coverage by their employer or private insurance companies."
Here's an example of the amount of money people are saving by purchasing their prescription medication from Canada. For the prescription allergy medicine Claritin, in the U.S. the average cost is about $215. In Canada it's $79, that's a savings of about 65%. The popular breast cancer pill Tamoxifen is about $287 in the U.S., $47 in Canada, the savings, about 86%. And the cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor, $249 in the U.S., $161 in Canada, a savings of more than 40%. We tried to contact many of the American pharmaceutical companies to question them about the price differences, they still have not returned our phone calls.
There are certain medications Canadian online pharmacies will not sell. Those drugs are either generic that aren't going to save you any money once shipping charges are included, and drugs like these, pain killers that have a street value. Getting the prescription medication online isn't as easy as it looks. You first have to fill out a questionnaire that gets thoroughly screened. "Patient questionnaire's get put in a medical chart and a Canadian physician views the appropriateness... Prescription for doctor to pharmacy." The Canadian physician will consult with your physician before your medication is distributed, the entire process takes about 2 to 3 weeks. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy says this process is legal, it's just buyer beware. Some internet sites may be okay, some may not. Canadian online pharmacies say they have the same regulations as U.S. pharmacies, and just because they're cheaper doesn't mean they're sloppy with their work.
Carolyn Churee says the online Canadian pharmacy is allowing she and her husband to enjoy retirement, instead of worrying about how they're going to pay for their prescriptions for the month. "Everybody clips coupons, buy things on sale. I pay money to stay healthy. If it's legal and it saves you money at this age when you don't have much coming in, it makes sense." Buying her medication online will save Carolyn about 24-hundred dollars this year. There are other online pharmaceutical companies from different countries who claim to save you money. We have to say many of those companies aren't legitimate companies, and you may end up with bad medication or even the wrong medication. In some cases if the company is not legal, you can also run the risk of being arrested. In order to buy any medication off the internet you *have* to have a prescription from a doctor. If you don't, you're buying drugs illegally, and that's a crime. To visit the Canadian pharmacies you can go to canadameds.com or www.crossborderpharmacy.com
You can also call Canadameds toll free at 1-877-542-3330.
Kim Richardson, WHNT-TV Huntsville, Alabama
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