Dupage Medical Group - Cheap Drugs in Canada

Welcome to Dupage Medical Group, the resource site for pharmaceutical information regarding cheap drugs in canada. At Dupage Medical Group we understand that more and more people in are overwhelmed by the current cost of medication in the United States.   We have spent years studying one of the most misrepresented solutions: Canadian online pharmacies and mail order pharmacies

Dupage Medical Group has been looking at how drugs are cheaper in Canada? why they are cheaper in Canada? and how safe are they compare to American drugs? These are all valid concerns for anyone looking north of the board to purchasing cheap drugs.

Cheaper Drugs in Canada

It's an often stated fact that prescription drugs are expensive. The elderly, disabled and people on fixed incomes are saddled with the burden of constantly searching for more affordable and cheaper drugs. The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan offers Medicare recipients potential savings. Drug makers have offered prescription drugs assistance programs to those who qualify. But many are still unable to afford prescription drugs within the United States.  Democratic U.S. Representative Fortney Pete Stark from California told a committee hearing that a review of prices for 10 popular brand-name drugs found Medicare prices are still almost 60 per cent higher than in Canada.

Online pharmacies offer potential cost cutting and convenience. But for many, it's still not enough help. It's a crisis situation to need drugs and not be able to afford them. It has driven many people to look outside the United States for solutions, with cheaper Canada drugs a possible solution.  Low Canadian drug prices and close proximity add up to big savings for American consumers hungry for affordable medication.

How much savings?

Canadian pharmacies dispense prescription and non-prescription drugs identical to those south of the border – in many cases for a fraction of the price. When Dupage Medical Group performed quick comparison of popular drugs shows just how much difference the border can make. Take Tamoxifen for example. Walgreens – the biggest drugstore chain in the U.S. – sells 180 of the breast cancer treatment tablets for $380.97 US. That very same order retails for $102.90 from Manitoba-based web pharmacy Rx1. That's a 73 per cent savings worth $278.07 – an astonishing difference that's making more and more Americans take notice.

It isn't just ordinary citizens who are looking for a good buy. The states of Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota are looking into using Canadian pharmacies to supply drugs for their government employees.

Why are drugs so cheap in Canada?

As Dupage Medical Group analyzes there are several factors that make drug prices lower in Canada than in the U.S and other countries.

One of the main reasons is the fact that Canadian drug companies are not allowed to market their products directly to consumers. That's a substantial savings not realized south of the border, where so-called direct-to-consumer marketing has been allowed since 1997. According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, drug companies spent almost $3 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising – a price that gets passed on to the consumer.

But the biggest reason for the price disparity is the existence of drug price controls in Canada. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, a quasi-judicial body of the government created in 1987, reviews pharmaceutical prices and enacts caps for patented drugs and medicines prices.

Canadians are spared higher drug prices, in large part because of price controls. The Canadian government has established a "Patented Medicine Prices Review Board" to ensure drug prices are not excessive.

"They look at the price of the drug," said Dr. Allan Detsky, a pharmacoeconomist at the University of Toronto, "and they say, 'You know what, we have no idea what the long-run costs of development are, but they can't possibly be that high. Forget it.' "  The review board has established a very specific formula for drug companies wishing to sell in Canada:
Existing drugs cannot increase in price by more than the rate of inflation. New drugs cannot cost more than similar drugs for the same illness.  And a breakthrough drug, the first of a new class of drugs, cannot cost more than the median price for the drug in other countries.

For example, the new cancer drug Campath is priced as follows:

United States: $2,400
France: $760
Sweden $660
Britain $570
Italy $500

The median, or "midprice," is $660, so Canadian regulations say that's the most the drug can sell for in Canada.  "It tells you that the true long-run cost of production must be way lower than the American price," said Detsky.

Online Mail Order Prescription

A customer can access a pharmacy website to consult prices and download order and information forms. The customer then faxes a copy of his prescription (electronic orders are not allowed) along with his doctor's information, personal information and payment to a Canada-based online pharmacy.

Pharmacies such as CanadaPharmacy.com only sells the highest quality of drugs available. All medications are government approved by Health Canada, which is stricter than the FDA and are dispensed by a fully licensed pharmacy. Every medication is checked, verified and filled by a trained and licensed pharmacist.

Dupage Medical Group also recognize that for some patients the thought of ordering their medications from a Canadian mail order Pharmacy can be somewhat un-nerving. We encourage you to take a look at the accreditation of online pharmacy sites to put your mind at ease. Pharmacies such as CanPharm.com, CanadaPharmacy.com, and CanadaMedicineShop.com are CIPA (Canadian international pharmacy certified), whose presence is to represent and support the ethical and professional practice of International Pharmacy, and to ensure the highest standards of practice are carried out by its members.

Dupage Medical Group has looked at some of the most of the popular drugs such as Lexapro, Drixoral, Zetia,Nexium, Effexor and XR Plavix that are all available to order from online Canadian pharmacies which are safe and certified.  Canada Pharmacy only sells the highest quality of drugs available. All medications are government approved by Health Canada, which is stricter than the FDA and are dispensed by a fully licensed pharmacy. Every medication is checked, verified and filled by a trained and licensed pharmacist. 

It is no surprise that more and more Americans are ordering from online pharmacies across the border for prescription and non-prescription drugs.