| Drugs
From Canada
Why are drugs from
Canada cheaper?
The price of brand name prescription drugs
in America is causing many residents to find ways to buy drugs
from Canada which in fact can be bought at a much lower price.
Many Americans are on fixed incomes and can not get help with
the cost of their prescriptions, so they are now buying their
prescriptions in Canada.
How can drugs from Canada be cheaper than
those in America?
Most drugs from Canada are manufactured in American, so, how
can they can they be cheaper when bought in Canada by Americans?
Drug prices are a very complex subject. Many different things
come into play as to why different countries have different
prices for the same drugs that are manufactured in America.
In countries like Canada they have a government price regulation
on drugs.
Canada has a very different system in place
to govern the price of drugs. The regulatory agency does not
just set a price and say that is it. The drug companies in
Canada do set the price for their own drugs, but they understand
the regulations and how to use them properly in order to stay
in business.
Their mandate for drugs from Canada says that the prices of
brand name drugs should be “not excessive”.
This regulatory board checks prices twice
per year to ensure that the mandate is in place in all drugs
from Canada companies. The guidelines they check are prices
for drugs from Canada must not exceed the price of drugs that
are used to treat the same problem. For new drugs, that do
not have any competition must not be higher than the same
drug found in 7 different countries(USA, Switzerland, Italy,
Sweden, Germany, France, and Britain).They also use the Canada’s
Consumer Price Index and the price must not increase above
the rate of inflation.
After this regulatory board was put in place for drugs from
Canada their name brand drug prices became one of the lowest
priced places to buy drugs. But, their generic drugs rose
in price to be over the medium price of other countries.
In the year 2001, drugs from Canada, according
to a study by the regulatory board, were on average 69 percent
cheaper in price than the U.S.
A really big difference in drugs from Canada is that everyone
pays the exact same price for the same drug. Drugs in America
are not the same price for each person; the price can be changed
for people with insurance and a different price for those
without insurance.
The FDA in America is trying to stop Americans
from buying drugs from Canada. Congress has tried to pass
bills in the past to allow Americans the right to buy drugs
from Canada, but the bills have not been passed.
Buying drugs from Canada is an issue that is being fought
in several states in the U.S. Many states are trying to change
laws where the states themselves will be able to purchase
drugs from Canada then they would be able to give their consumers
lower drug prices.
Maybe our government should look more into
drugs from Canada to find ways they can lower our prices,
then many Americans would not be stuck paying high prices
for prescription drugs. Many of America’s older citizens
on fixed incomes can not afford to pay expensive prices for
their prescription drugs. This causes them to have to skimp
on other necessities suck as food and air conditioning. When
a senior citizen is paying high prices for the drugs that
they need to live a productive and enjoyable life, they sometimes
do not have the money left to enjoy their life.
If you are considering buying drugs from
Canada be sure you buy from a reputable pharmacy. Be sure
that the pharmacy has their physical address and telephone
number posted in clear viewing on their website. Also be sure
that you can in fact talk with a licensed pharmacist with
any questions you may have. |