For centuries now, the United States and Canada have enjoyed close relations of friendly rivalry. This equation covers everything from politics to sport, international conflicts as well as music. However, one major difference between the two countries happens to be the way they regulate and approve their prescription drugs.
It’s no secret that the health laws and insurance policies in Canada are much better than in the U.S. But lately, things have become drastically worse for American citizens.
The effects of this key difference don’t just disturb the distribution of legal medicines, but it also makes a difference in how these drugs are used (or abused) and the affordability they hold in their respective markets.
Why Do American Drugs Cost So Much?
According to figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the people of America spend about $1,200 on prescription drugs per year. This is a lot more than what most people pay on average in any other developed country.
You may think that these sky-high prices are a sign of innovation or better quality of drugs, but that’s not actually true. In fact, a recent study published in the journal Health Affairs suggests that the sole reason that these prices are so high is that companies have been raising the prices of drugs that are already readily available. So that means that there’s no practical reason for increasing the prices like that.
Author Inmaculada Hernandez, who is an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, furthered this discussion as they spoke to CNBC Make It. They said,
“We found that, in the case of brand-name drugs, rising prices were driven by manufacturers increasing prices of medications that are already in the market rather than [by] the entry of new products,”
Along with her colleagues, Hernandez also did a comparison of the data on wholesale prescription drugs. They came to the conclusion that, between 2008 and 2016, brand-named oral prescription drugs had risen by around 9 percent annually, whereas injectable drugs had increased around 15 percent per year. These figures become even more shocking when you realize that the inflation rate had only been about 2 percent.
Although there are some increased prices that make sense, such as specialty and generic drugs, which seem to be driven by the entry of new medications into the market. But as researchers have found, otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be any practical reason for the increase in price; and they especially don’t reflect the improvement in any way.
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Canada: The Cheaper Alternative?
As stated before, Canadian Pharmacy has better regulations than American pharmacies. Canadians overall pay much lower prices for their medicines, while their government offers comprehensive health-care coverage that’s accessible to everyone. They basically pay a fraction of a price as compared to the brutally inflated costs that Americans pay for their medicines. Even though a lot of Canadians’ medications are paid through their insurance policies, even without it their medicines are much cheaper.
Which raises the question: is it a viable option to import drugs from Canada instead of buying them from America?
The simple answer is: Yes.
Now it’s true that importing drugs from Canada won’t cure the problems of the United States. But until the government finds a way to reduce the prices of American medication, it’s a fairly reliable alternative. Canadian drug prices are a lot lower than America’s, so if you want to take advantage of this situation, there’s no harm in it.
However, you have to be more careful while buying drugs off the internet.
So here are a few tips to keep in mind while purchasing drugs from an online store:
- Only buy drugs from licensed pharmacies online. Check if the site is licensed with the state board pharmacy or the equivalent state agency that covers that area to make sure it’s authentic, or else don’t buy from it.
- Do not provide any personal information to a site you’re unsure about. Your credit card information is especially sensitive, so make sure you know the site will protect it by checking its authentication.
- Check if the site makes it a priority to ask for a prescription before letting you buy medicine and also has a pharmacist available to ask any questions you’re confused about.
- The pharmacy can provide a valid street address that you can somehow verify.
Beware of online pharmacies that:
- Allow you to buy any medicine you want without presenting a valid prescription for it.
- Offer such cheap prices that they almost seem too good to be true.
- Don’t have a licensed pharmacist for consolation.
- Start sending you spam or unsolicited emails offering medicine for cheaper prices as soon as you make a query on their website.
If you buy medicines from unauthentic online stores, you may end up with products that do not check the safe level of ingredients required to make the medicine effective. These medicines would do more harm than good, so it’s better to steer clear of these.
It’s a valid option to buy drugs online from Canadian pharmacies for cheaper prices. But the important thing is to do the proper research beforehand. And once you find an authentic online pharmacy that you can trust, it’s better to just stick to it.
DoctorSolve™ is a reliable, reputable Canadian pharmacy providing you access to online prescription fulfillment that saves you money and that you can trust. All online prescriptions are reviewed by registered medical professionals to ensure their safety. DoctorSolve™ is a certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) and classified by Pharmacy Checker as one of the best (five-star) and most trusted online prescription pharmacy.