U.S. Generic Drugs Significantly Cheaper Than Canadian Drugs

Canadian Drugs and Drug Prices

For millions of Americans turning to Canada for lower cost prescription drugs, they may find greater savings in their own backyard.

With soaring drug prices and a growing number of aging Baby Boomers, an estimated two million Americans - mostly uninsured or underinsured seniors - rely on Canada as their source for affordable prescription drugs. Because Canada regulates its prescription drug prices, Canadian pharmacies can often beat U.S. prices on brand name drugs by 30% or more.

Canadian prescription medications are not always the cheapest option, however. Free market conditions and fierce competition make U.S. generic drugs some of the most affordable prescription drugs in the world. In fact, a 2004 study published by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that six of seven popular generic drugs were cheaper in the United States than in Canada.

U.S. generic drugs typically offer tremendous savings because the manufacturers do not incur the investment costs as the original brand name developer, and can therefore sell their product at substantial discounts.

"We sell the popular generic version of Celexa, Citalopram, for one-quarter the price in the U.S. than in Canada," says John Henry, president of PrescriptionPoint, an online pharmacy with locations in both Canada and the U.S.

Henry points out, however, that U.S. generics aren't available for every drug. "A generic drug isn't available until the brand name patent expires, which can take years. If your only option is the brand name drug, it's wise to first comparison shop in Canada and the U.S."

PrescriptionPoint is one of only a handful of mail order pharmacies that helps its customers find the best value from both U.S. and Canadian pharmacies. Their Web site (prescriptionpoint.com) displays prices side-by-side for both brand name and generic drugs from the U.S. and Canada so consumers can choose the price or source for their medication.

"Regardless of which country has the best value, our customers can rest assured that their prescriptions are from a licensed pharmacy and adhere to the guidelines established by the FDA and HealthCanada, which is Canada's equivalent of the FDA," says Henry.

PrescriptionPoint (www.prescriptionpoint.com), a fully licensed online U.S. and Canadian pharmacy, offers complete prescription services for all patients with chronic conditions, by providing the highest quality, most cost efficient prescription medications, services, medical supplies and various other pharmaceutical solutions.