Canadian Meds?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Nova:</p>

<p>I think we all understand your point. But, the simple fact is that major US pharmaceutical companies price thier product differently depending on where it is shipped. I can drive across the border to Baja California and walk into any reputable pharmacy and find manufacturer-sealed packages of items that are priced for the Mexican economy. Many of these drugs are sealed at the same production plants that ship product to the US. This is a case of Congress (not the FDA, who is just enforcing the law as written), enabling drug companies to charge US consumers more for the exact same items than our neighbors to the north and to the south.</p>

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<p>It’s the issue of the middle men. Drugs, in the U.S. for the most part, are not sold directly to pharmacies. They are sold to wholesellers who sell to pharmacies. The few counterfeit drugs which have entered the U.S. have come from rogue wholesellers. That is why there has been a strengthening of regulations of them. Every drug bottle has a pedigree.
Canada does not have a counterfeit drug problem, but Mexico does. Mexico is way more lax about regulating drugs. You can even get antibiotics OTC.</p>

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<p>That could be one of the price discrepancies, but the fact still remains that drug companies price their product by what the market will bear. Certain countries are extremely poor, and drug companies price their product accordingly. Otherwise, they would not sell much product in those countries.</p>

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<p>India allows you to buy meds with no prescription, including antibiotics. I think they do not ship controlled substances tho (like narcotics).</p>

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<p>Just know the pharmacy that is providing your meds. That means here in the US too. Just picking a great ad from the internet is not a smart way to go. For that matter, not too long ago, a pharmacist was caught diliuting expensive cancer meds. Hard to know who is trustworthy any more.</p>

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<p>cptofthehouse, is this the story you are referring to?</p>

<p>[Prosecutors</a> Say Greed Drove Pharmacist to Dilute Drugs - New York Times](<a href=“http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DC103EF93BA2575BC0A9679C8B63]Prosecutors”>http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DC103EF93BA2575BC0A9679C8B63)</p>

<p>This happened in the US. How sad.</p>

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<p>Yes, it is. To both questions.</p>

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<p>I got prescription drugs from canada. They were fine and cheap. same difference. saved on doctor visit.</p>

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<p>That pharmacist lost his license. What he did was awful. Pharmacy and Pharma do not always agree on everything, but they both agree patients should receive the real stuff.
A rogue wholeseller once got a butch of empty EPO (erythropoietin) bottles and filled them with sterilized water.
In the U.S., the price is already high by the time the wholesellers buy the medications. It’s the manufacturers who are responsible for over 80% of the cost. The remaining 20% or so are costs associated with the wholesellers and pharmacy. To fill an empty bottle at a pharmacy, costs between $8 and $12 depending on the market.</p>