Medications from Canada, India etc?

The CBC did a study of online drug pharmacies operating in Canada. They discovered that the source country for the drugs was the same as for the name brand. So if Pfizer was sourcing from Holland, so was the pharmacy. I believe this was to avoid US import duties.
 
Does anyone have a particular Canadian online pharmacy that they would recommend or have a trusted source that rates there pharmacies?

I think that DW is really getting ripped off a drug that she has been prescribed and we'd like to try the Canada route. We could even drive there as we are 30 minutes from the border, if that would make more sense.
 
Even if you get drugs and medications here, there is no guarantee that they are made here. Many are made in China anyway.

I would rather an Indian pharmacy than a Chinese one.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was quoted as stating that at least 81 deaths were believed to be linked to a raw heparin ingredient imported from the People's Republic of China, and that they had also received 785 reports of serious injuries associated with the drug’s use
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_heparin_adulteration
 
travelover said:
Does anyone have a particular Canadian online pharmacy that they would recommend or have a trusted source that rates there pharmacies?

I think that DW is really getting ripped off a drug that she has been prescribed and we'd like to try the Canada route. We could even drive there as we are 30 minutes from the border, if that would make more sense.
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Try these threads. They are OLD but nothing has changed.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/ordering-meds-45452.html

Look at the end of this one: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/canadian-drugs-41484.html
 
I bought drugs here in the US, the bottle said they were made in Ireland (lazy pharmacist didn't bother to re-bottle it in their generic bottle).

I have bought drugs in Canada, directly at the drugstore. I got a prescription from my doc as the drug here is only available with prescription, but in Canada it's over the counter.
I wanted the prescription just in case Customs had an issue with it since it had codeine in it, my prescription said I could buy 300 (it was only $12).



Since you are so close, and depending upon the cost of the prescription it could be a big savings, especially with the 30% benefit of the exchange rate these days.
Go with a prescription, and have a copy of it in your bag (in case Customs searches).
Don't know if they will accept a US doc, but if not phone doc's and ask them how much to re-write the prescription in Canadian :D
 
Sunset said:
Don't know if they will accept a US doc, but if not phone doc's and ask them how much to re-write the prescription in Canadian :D
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The prescription will need to be reviewed and rewritten by a physician licensed in Canada. Online pharmacies are set up to work with physicians who are willing to do this, but retail pharmacies may not be. The issue for physicians is that professional licensing bodies in several provinces have disciplined physicians who provide prescriptions without having examined the patient. If you need to visit a Canadian physician for an exam and prescription, you will need to pay for the service, which is not covered by Medicare. I suggest you find a pharmacy and a physician willing to provide these services before crossing the border.

Since travelover lives in Michigan, the relevant province is Ontario. Here is a link to the prescribing policy of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. See "General Expectations".

http://www.cpso.on.ca/Policies-Publications/Policy/Prescribing-Drugs

There are several internet pharmacies based in Manitoba. The policy of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba on this issue is very succinct:

http://cpsm.mb.ca/statement-no-805-prescribing-practice

Basically, an exam is required, and if not done, the physician is breaking the rules and risks professional discipline.
 
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Meadbh said:
The prescription will need to be reviewed and rewritten by a physician licensed in Canada. .........
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It is funny how the US FDA tells us that Canadian pharmacies cannot be trusted and the Canadian government tells us that US physicians cannot be trusted. Me thinks that Big Pharma is a ventriloquist.
 
travelover said:
It is funny how the US FDA tells us that Canadian pharmacies cannot be trusted and the Canadian government tells us that US physicians cannot be trusted. Me thinks that Big Pharma is a ventriloquist.
Click to expand...

As they say: "Sequere Pecuniam" (Follow the money)
 
Meadbh said:
The prescription will need to be reviewed and rewritten by a physician licensed in Canada. ...
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I just give my US doctor the fax number of my pharmacy. They don't know or care where it is, as far as I can tell.

You can save a bundle (an 80% discount is common and a 95% discounts have been spotted) on drugs that have gone generic outside of the US, but somehow they've managed to prevent generics in the US. Otherwise, there's less money to be saved, but even brand name drugs are sold cheaper in places where the ability to pay is less, but nothing like the generic vs brand discounts.
 
Digital media is also a lot cheaper in India and China, so while you are obtaining your illegal drugs, might as well pick up copies of your favorite movies and software!

By the way, did you know a drug manufacturer can be sued if someone takes a generic version of their drug and has a problem, even if the manufacturer had no part in the manufacture or distribution of that drug. :facepalm:
 
Fermion said:
Digital media is also a lot cheaper in India and China, so while you are obtaining your illegal drugs, might as well pick up copies of your favorite movies and software!...........
Click to expand...

I think I might do that . Do you have any names for recommended Canadian on-line pharmacies like I requested in my post above?
 
Many of the large drug chains enable reorders by phone and renewed prescriptions by FAX so it might be worth your while to set that up if you are spending a lot of money.

My biggest concern is with the FDA. They seem to hold sway over Canadian Drug Companies.
 
I've phoned prescriptions to Canadian pharmacies for patients. I gave them my US license and DEA numbers and they were fine with it. It was blood pressure or diabetes stuff. I plan on asking my doctor to send my HRT refill to canadadrugs.com next month.

I have also purchased medications for myself (don't remember where) and my dogs (petshed.com) from Australia and topical retin-A from India (alldaychemist.com).

Each individual pharmaceutical medication is normally made in a very small number of plants and distributed worldwide. Regardless of the country where it was purchased, it's likely to have come from the same plant. There is just no difference between the medication you purchase in the US and its Canadian equivalent.

Counterfeit medication is more of a problem, but if you buy from a big, first world, on-line retailer, you're unlikely to receive counterfeits. Alldaychemist in India has a good reputation and the retin-A certainly smells like the real thing, but I would hesitate to buy something more crucial from them.

Generics are also usually not a problem when they are normal tablets. Extended or controlled release tablets require much more complex manufacturing and generic versions may or may not release their active ingredients with exactly the same time profile.
 
+1 for Canadadrugs.com.

Recommended by my veterinarian for a specialty medicine for my dog that is not available in the U.S. Very friendly customer service, accept a fax from the vet/doctor, and sources from one of several countries where the drug is made.

- Rita
 
Sarah in SC said:
I buy animal meds from Petshed in Australia. Good prices and fast shipping.
Wait, this wasn't about dogs?
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For me, it is about dodging excessive prices on US drugs and still getting quality meds.
 
I have reliably bought retin-A and tazorac for a number of years from Alldaychemist in India. No issues whatsoever--yes it is real medicine (it works, you can look up the manufacturer online etc.). No spam from the pharmacy, no problems with debit card theft. Order sent to me via overseas mail. I have also bought a limited number of other meds from there as well and they are all real. You can save a bundle on many meds, but others are about equivalent in price to US-bought.

I have also used a pharmacy in Australia in the past which was reliable and not fake, name escapes me at the moment.
 
Meds in the U.S. Are the MOST expensive in the world. Today, the U.S. currently depends the highest percentage of GDP on health care of any western nation. And this percentage of GNP if growing at an alarming rate.

Alas, the medical outcome statistics vary inversely with this. There is a reason why the pharma industry, the AMA, The hospital/health care industries, and the health insurance industries spend so much on lobbying. And it has paid off handsomely.
 
Almost all developed countries — including those run by very conservative governments — have an effective solution for drug prices, which is why these countries often pay less than half of what people in the United States pay for drugs. For instance, Australia’s more than 60-year-old Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme has been the single purchaser of drugs for the country, making drugs available at fixed prices that are now listed online.
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The counter to this that I've heard is that the reason our prices are so high is because every other country in the world squeezes down prices and we're left holding the bag.

What we have in the US is "value pricing"; the price has nothing to do with the investment or manufacturing costs and everything to do with how much they think Americans (some with their fat expensive healthcare policies) can afford.

The solution in the comments that made the most sense to me was to allow people in the US to buy from wherever in the world they want to. Of course that will never happen because of "the situation". So some of us will become regular law breakers, if we can :)
 
Buying Rx from other countries?

Just found out one of my prescriptions will no longer be covered by my insurance. There are no generics available in the US yet, won't be until 2023 when patent runs out. Looking at about $200 month.
I have found a generic from a Canadian pharmacy that is much less expensive also the name brand Rx is less expensive there also. The country of origin is India. I remember talking with a retired pharmacist recently and he said most of drugs sold in the US are made overseas.
Is anyone buying prescriptions from Canada or other overseas pharmacies?
If so what are your opinions?
 
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