Do Canadian Pharmacies Offer the Same Medications as United States Pharmacies?
Canadian online pharmacies are capable of offering prescription medications at deeply discounted prices when compared to the prices charged by local pharmacies in the United States. This fact is well known to anyone who has conducted Canada healthcare research. However, what does the low price really mean? Are you getting the same drugs from a discounted source that you would get from a higher priced American pharmacy? Some people worry that the lower price indicates a lower standard. Is there any truth to this concern?
The low prices of Canadian drugs are caused by two major factors. First, the government there has placed a strict price control on Canada medications which filters all the way down to the retail level. Since these retail prices are also carefully controlled by the Canadian government, prices are almost identical across the country. The only disparity comes because of individual pharmacies’ dispensing fees. This is a flat rate that allows pharmacies to compete with one another and usually ranges from $7 to $9 per prescription. The second way prices are kept lower is by ordering bulk imports. The savings that pharmacies experience by making such wise purchases is directly translated to the customer. For these reasons, it is clear that even though Canada drug prices are lower, they are not of a substandard quality.
As far as the exact drug you are getting when you order from a Canadian pharmacy, there has been some confusion because Canada sells the same drugs sometimes under a different name than the United States. This is due to brand name differences. The generic title should be the same across the border. Still, generic drugs are sometimes available in Canada before they are sold in the US. This is another way you save money, as everyone knows buying the generic variety is less expensive than a brand name purchase.
Hopefully your worries about ordering your prescription drugs from a foreign source are now put to rest, at least in the category of quality of Canadian drugs and their discounted prices. As long as you find a licensed source for your Canada medication order, you will encounter no problems with your purchase. Locate an online distributor that requires proof of your prescription and then has a Canadian doctor co-sign the prescription. This is necessary if you want to your drug to cross the border between Canada and the US with no shipping complications.