Healthy Aging

Americans are drawn to buying drugs in Canada, either online or by bus trip, because they are much cheaper there.  This is due to the fact that the pharmaceutical companies must abide by Canadian government price controls.  If fact prices in the US have been found to be nearly twice as high as in Canada and almost three times as high as elsewhere in the world.

While the lure if monetary savings is enticing, it is a risky proposition: some are legitimate and safe, while others are “seconds” and sold in plastic bags.  Additionally, substitution are often made for brand names with generics.  These generics, while approved in Canada, may not have been approved in the US.  Generics have been shown to create different reactions than the name brands.  The savings however can be 1000’s of dollars which is difficult to ignore for cash strapped seniors.

Counterfeit and expired drugs are another risk those importing from Canada face.  Some online entities will create a website with a maple leaf logo and claim to be a Canadian pharmacy.  In reality the site is not legitimate and the drugs sold do not originate there and the labels are not in English making their safe use difficult. 

Some states and cities have taken additional measures to legitimize the shopping experience by setting up programs or their own websites to facilitate the importing of Canadian drugs to those in need.  Legislatures as well are passing or introducing legislation that will facilitate re-importation programs.

Major drug manufacturers are taking action against Canadian pharmacies by enforcing contract clauses that prohibit them from exporting drugs to the U.S.  Others are limiting sales to Canadian pharmacies so that they only have enough to meet their domestic need.

The Canadian pharmaceutical industry is regulated by the government organization Health Canada.  Their website catalogues Canadian online pharmacies and you check to see if there have been any complaints against a company.  It can also help to check if a particular company is a member of the Canadian online drug industry trade organization: Canadian International Pharmacy Association.

The bottom line is that care must be taken when buying drugs from Canada to be certain that you are purchasing a safe and authentic product.  Until a compromise is reached and the gap between U.S and Canadian pharmaceutical costs become more closely aligned, there is not sign the the trends will be changing.