Which online pharmacy has the best prices on the internet?

I did a quick check of internet drug prices and discovered that you practically have to make it a full time job if you want to always get the lowest price for your online medications.

First, some basic information that you need when comparing online prices for pharmaceuticals.

1. Brand Drugs: As a general rule, prices for brand-name drugs that do not have a generic equivalent available in the United States are more expensive than the same brand-drug for sale in Canadian internet pharmacies, or many other countries for that matter.

Why? The U.S. is very protectionist when it comes to guarding drug patent rights. The drug companies have exclusivity in the marketplace longer than elsewhere which gives them a monopoly where they can charge the highest price they can get away with.

Canada, on the other hand, regulates the cost of brand drugs coming into the Canadian market.

Example: I checked out the cost of Accupril (brand) 10 mg for 90 pills. The price varied from $0.67 - $1.51 per pill. When you factor in shipping costs, the cost for 90 Accupril ranged from $65 - $130.94 with Canadian and New Zealand internet pharmacies being the clear winners at almost half the cost of the American online pharmacies.*

Your choice? When it comes to brand pharmaceuticals, you'll find the best deal on the international pharmacy market on the internet.

2. Generic Drugs: This is where things get a little confusing. Because the Canadian pharmacy drug market has been more open to generic competition for the past quarter century, Canada has a lot more generic equivalents than the U.S. So, if you can't find a generic version of the brand drug in the States, you will find savings as much as 70-80% by buying through online pharmacy in Canada. The situation is similar with internet pharmacy in Australia, New Zealand and some countries in Europe.

However (this is the confusing bit!), if there is a generic available in the U.S., it will often be less expensive than the same generic from a cross-border or international pharmacy. What's going on?

A brief history of generics....

In the States, the first generic to market is given 6 months of exclusivity to market at what ever price the market will bear. Once that 6 months is over, all the other competitors who have been whining like a pack of wild dogs in the wings will rush out in a frenzy of cost-cutting until the price of the generic has been driven down to almost nothing - hence the low price in the U.S. for generic drugs with multiple competitors.

In Canada, the government or private insurance picks up drug costs so generic manufacturers have no incentive to lower prices. In Canada, "educational incentives" are used to woo pharmacies to choose one generic company over another. (I'm not saying it's a bad system, but as a taxpayer I know I haven't seen any of those incentives comes my way! ;>)

Let's take a look at a couple of examples:

Generic Prozac is called fluoxetine hydrochloride generically. Fluoxetine 20 mg costs the least at U.S. online pharmacies with a lowest price of $0.12 per capsule vs a high at a Canadian internet drugstore of $1.30 - more than ten times the cost! Taking into consideration shipping fees, the field was evened somewhat with the lowest being $14.25/100 capsules compared to $129.36 but even so - which would you rather pay?!

The short and sweet version:

No generic = TIME TO GO SHOPPING ON THE INTERNET

U.S. Generic = BE PROUD AND BUY AMERICAN

No U.S. Generic but available elsewhere = MAKE THAT MOUSE SQUEAK

As I mentioned in passing, drug cost is not the only factor to consider when choosing an online pharmacy. When costing your decision, include shipping and handling charges, exchange rates, membership fees and other other hidden charges that may apply.

You also have to consider the quality of the pharmacy services available over the internet. The last time I checked, there were over 400 online pharmacies on the internet. Maybe one tenth of those could be called legitimate businesses truly concerned with your healthcare. The rest are just out for a fast buck.

Take care out there!




*I limited my choices of online pharmacies to only those that follow good pharmacy practice guidelines including the requirement of a doctor's prescription. A posting on good pharmacy practice will follow later.