Safe and Affordable Meds? PharmacyChecker Has Answers

It is a common question. Where can I get affordable medications from a safe resource? And it often seems that there are too many options and no easy answers. To take into consideration all of the restrictions put on prescription drug programs by insurance companies and add the fears about using online pharmacies, the task is a daunting one…until now.

PharmacyChecker.com has answers in an easy-to-navigate report that ranks online pharmacies based in the United States, Canada, and other countries. Online pharmacy companies provide alternatives for Americans who are facing hundreds of dollars in medication costs per month at only a fraction of those prices, saving customers an average of 72 percent. Some of the most popular brand name drugs are listed in the report, as well as their generic equivalents, and public comments are included for easy references.

The most recent number of uninsured Americans is calculated at 47 million. To add to that number is 25 million more Americans who are underinsured and more than 3 million Medicare patients who are not sufficiently covered by their prescription plans. Over the past decade, that number has grown and will likely continue to do so as more people lose their jobs in the wake of the ongoing U.S. economic crisis. A good portion of these millions of people need medication and feel that there are few safe, viable options, but PharmacyChecker begs to differ.

Some in the insurance industry would like the public to believe that drugs, even those with brand names, are not safe if they come from foreign countries. Many people believe that it is not even legal to import prescription drugs on an individual basis. But in truth, though there are legal issues, it is allowed by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for 90-day supplies or less and does not include controlled substances, and it is safe when licensed pharmacies are in play.

Brand name drugs are the most cost efficient to purchase from international online pharmacies, such as those based in Canada, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the UK. Safety and quality standards in those countries are very high, and PharmacyChecker verifies such standards before recommending the companies in its report. Savings of more than 70 percent are standard with most common drugs. For example, a 90-day supply of a standard Lipitor dosage is regularly priced at $451 at a U.S. pharmacy but can be found on a non-U.S. online website for $124.

There are also U.S.-based online pharmacies that can provide savings on brand name drugs, though the savings are significantly less—approximately 15  to 20 percent. Some of the most familiar names are Costco and CVS pharmacies that allow online purchases at cheaper prices due to operating at higher volume with lower overhead costs. These purchases should prompt no legal concerns whatsoever because there is no importation involved.

Generic drugs are a somewhat different story, as many of them are already available at everyday pharmacies like Target, Safeway, and Kmart at very cheap prices  compared to their brand name counterparts. But online pharmacies also provide additional savings to make those generic drugs more than affordable. For example, the generic version of Zocor, simvastatin, is not specially priced at Wal-Mart pharmacies, thus costing $49.54 for 100 pills. Considering the Zocor price is $215, that does constitute considerable savings, but savvy consumers can look one step further and find that Costco’s online pharmacy offers the generic at $10.44, which is a savings of 95 percent from the brand name price and 79 percent from the Wal-Mart price.

Keep in mind that for insured Americans, it is wise to check generic drug prices against the insurance copayment, as it is sometimes more cost-efficient to purchase without involving insurance. In addition, some insurance programs restrict or do not allow generic drugs to be purchased on the plans. This puts brand name medications back into the list of options, especially if they can be purchased offshore for the aforementioned substantial savings.

The PharmacyChecker free online report gives numerous examples of savings enjoyed by persons in the U.S. looking to make their necessary drug shopping more affordable. President of the site, Dr. Tod Cooperman, M.D., noted, “The bottom line is that any American with access to the internet can easily cut his or her drug costs by half or more using safe and simple strategies.”

For the time it takes to look at the report, find the prescription drugs needed, and comparison shop between the reliable sources listed, hundreds of dollars could be saved on each order. And once the ideal pharmacy is found, getting prescribed medications no longer needs to be an emotional or time-consuming burden.