Canada Drug Talk

Michael M. Perhach III

"The New York State Board of Pharmacy licenses pharmacies to provide standards of practice to protect our citizens. Who is protecting our citizens from Canadian and other out-of-state firms?"

In an editorial entitled Local Pharmacies Contribute to Quality of Community's Life, Binghamton pharmacist Michael M. Perhach III wrote the above statement.  While I agree with his points about the importance of keeping money in one's community, I would like to challenge the notion that dealing with Canadian pharmacies somehow leaves citizens unprotected.

Who is protecting us when we shop at Canadian pharmacies?

I believe that Andrew Strempler, President and CEO of RX North, answers this question much more eloquently than I ever could: RX North's Regulatory Agencies page.

Fiction: Canadian Pharmacists are Not Accessible

American pharmacists that oppose reimportation would have you believe that Canadian pharmacists are not accessible.  For example, Binghamton pharmacist Michael M. Perhach III had this to say in a recent editorial:

When patients need a pharmacist, they can talk to one locally. How accessible are the mail-order pharmacists?  If you have dealt with mail order you know the disturbing answer -- they're hard to access, at best.

Obviously, this gentleman has not had the pleasure of dealing with any of the Canadian pharmacies in our list.  All provide a toll-free number and all have pharmacists on hand to answer patient questions.

This will be the case with all reputable Canadian pharmacies.

If your mail-order pharmacy does not have a readily-accessible pharmacist on hand to answer questions, then you need to reconsider your choice in mail-order pharmacies.  There is a chance that the firm you are dealing with may not even be Canadian so a quick review of Tips for Buying Prescription Drugs Online may be in order.

Prescription Drug Myths in the News

It is amazing what passes for news these days.

An article that appeared on a Daily News website on May 22nd offered this quote from an American pharmacist as to why drugs were so expensive in the United States:

"You just have to try to make them understand the tremendous cost of bringing a drug to market."

The reporter then went on to explain how a new drug must go through a long research and testing process, followed by costly marketing phase.

For a more accurate account:

Fiction: Each New Drug Costs $800 Million Dollars to Develop

Why are Canadian Drug Prices Lower?

The article also seemed to suggest that there was something wrong with generic drugs:

"(Patients) should know they have a choice between falling in with a brand name or a generic...  The majority of the time, it’s fine to use a generic substitution."

The majority of the time it's fine to use a substitution?  I would be interested to know in what cases it would not be fine.  A generic drug, by definition, is therapeutically equivalent (identical in strength, concentration, and dosage form) to a brand-name drug.

The article goes on:

Still, in some cases, the generic substitution isn’t the best option for a patient. Other times, a generic equivalent isn’t available for a brand-name medication, in which case a doctor would need to prescribe a substitution.

While I can understand the second sentence (generic drugs cannot be manufactured until the patent on the brand name drug expires), the first sentence suggests that a generic substitution may not the best option for a patient.

Again, how can a therapeutically identical generic not be the best option?  Perhaps it is not the best option for the manufacturer of the brand name drug (nor for the pharmacy?).

For the patient, however, how can a drug that is equal to a brand name drug with the same use and metabolic disintegration but cheaper not be the best option from a consumer's perspective?

The pharmacy then goes so far as to offer tips for consumers which include the following question to ask your doctor or pharmacist:

Are there any risks (side effects or reactions) if I change from my current branded drug to a generic medication?

Sorry to sound like a broken record but generic drugs are identical in strength, concentration, dosage form and metabolic disintegration so if the patient is currently using a brand name drug that has a generic equivalent, there should be no problem whatsoever in switching to the less expensive alternative.

As you already know, brand name drugs are much cheaper in Canada.

This is not the case for generic drugs:

Generic Drugs - Buy Locally and Shop Around

Some Still See Canada as Option

Some Still See Canada as Option  (Source: Rocky Mountain News)

Seniors continue to buy medicines from Canada despite the push to enroll them in Medicare prescription drug plans.

A year's worth of Canadian drugs can cost the same or less than drugs bought in the cheapest Medicare plan. And the process is simple.

"We will save you 53 percent on the top 10 medications. Medicare doesn't come close to giving that kind of discount," said Andrew Stempler, president of rxnorth.com. "As soon as the Americans don't need me anymore, I won't be in business."

Editor's Note: RX North is listed in our Pharmacies section.

State Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley

"It was pretty clear that our national policies are a disgrace."

State Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley was referring to prescription drug policies in the United States.

State Assemblywoman Buckley sits on the legislative committee that approved new rules allowing Nevadans to buy Canadian prescription drugs.

Source: Online Canadian Prescription Drugs Available to Nevadans (KLASTV)

Online Canadian Prescription Drugs Available to Nevadans

Online Canadian Prescription Drugs Available to Nevadans

Nevadans can buy cheaper Canadian prescription drugs beginning next week. A state legislative committee gave final approval to rules allowing Nevada residents to make the purchases online.

So far, the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy licensed four Canadian pharmacies that meet the standards set by the state. The bottom line is, right now, any resident of Nevada can legally buy the cheaper Canadian drugs from those four companies.

Source: KLASTV

Editor's Note: A link to the Nevada State Governor's Approved Canadian Pharmacies List can be found on our Useful Links page under the 'Government' heading.

Congressman Gil Gutknecht

"It would be devastating if someone gets sick or dies because someone's drugs were confiscated... It is amazing that we have a government that can't control our borders to illegal immigration and literally tons of illegal narcotic drugs that are coming into this country every day, but by God they can stop Grandma from saving $50 on her prescription drugs."

US Representative Gil Gutknecht, a Minnesota Republican, is a staunch supporter of imported drugs.

Source: US Steps Up Seizures of Imported Drugs (Boston Globe)