This page answers some of the most common questions about ordering from a Canadian pharmacy.
Because of the unique legal situation in the United States pharmaceutical market, American consumers pay far more for their prescription medications than citizens of almost any other country in the world.
By comparison, on average, Italians pay 53 percent of the U.S. cost for a brand-name drug, the French pay 55 percent, Canadians 62 percent, Swedes 64 percent, Germans 65 percent and Swiss and United Kingdom residents 69 percent. Several members of Congress are now actively campaigning to change the way pharmaceutical companies' activities are regulated, and two U.S. states (see below) have even launched their own Canadian pharmacy web sites to circumvent FDA prohibitions on personal drug importation. See the eye-opening international drug price comparisons at the web site of U.S. Congressman Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT), or for more information, the article on the 'Discount Drug Controversy' at the leading mental health site CounsellingResource.com.
That is why increasing numbers of Americans are ordering medications from abroad.
The Canadian government enforces price controls which limit the markup which pharmaceutical companies are allowed to charge. This contrasts with the United States, which enforces no such profit limits on pharmaceutical companies, and where the pharmaceutical business remains the single most profitable segment of the economy. Together with the strength of the U.S. dollar, the Canadian drug price controls ensure excellent savings for U.S. consumers who choose to order from Canada.
Based upon our market research and the prices of our fulfillment partner, we know that you can save upwards of 80%-90% on some medications, relative to the retail medication price charged in the United States.
Our main fulfillment partner charges a flat rate of $15 (U.S.) for shipments to the United States. Because this flat rate applies to an entire shipment, you can achieve the greatest savings by placing one order for several of your medications at the same time.
Absolutely. We work only with fulfillment partners who take customer service very seriously and who will stand behind their business with a 100% guarantee of satisfaction. Should you experience any difficulty with your order, please get in touch with our fulfillment partner via the Contact Details page. (Please note, however, that pharmacies are not allowed to accept the return for use or re-use of any portion of any drug or non-prescription medication.)
The short answer to this question is: NO, importing prescription medications into the United States for personal use is not legal. However, the United States Food and Drug Administration's Personal Importation Policy allows that individual FDA officers may, at their discretion, permit the importation of limited quantities of prescription medications for personal use. This does not change the fact that it remains technically illegal.
The fact that personally importing drugs into the United States from another country is technically illegal has not stopped the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota from launching state-sanctioned Canadian pharmacy ordering sites specifically for helping citizens of those states order from Canadian online pharmacies. While the pharmaceutical lobby continues to pressure regulators at the Federal level to protect the most profitable pharmaceutical market in the world, officials at the state level are actively engaged in helping their citizens save money.
They FDA typically understands a 90-day supply to be the maximum quantity of medication which may be viewed as being 'for personal use'.
By law, each prescription charge must include a dispensing fee. This flat fee is the same whether it is for a 30-day supply or a 90-day supply. The end result is that buying a 90-day supply instead of a 30-day supply saves not just two (or three!) shipping fees, but also two dispensing fees.
We do not sell any drugs; we act only as an informational portal, but our fulfillment partners are a licensed Canadian pharmacy which will ship your medications directly to you. (Please see the question 'Are you a licensed pharmacy?'.) But to to answer the question (!), all medications we list are of the same brand, quality, purity and potency as those in the U.S. Most are manufactured in the U.S. or produced by U.S. companies in their Canadian facilities. All medications listed are approved by Health Canada, the Canadian equivalent of the United States FDA. The appearance of some medications may differ slightly in terms of packaging and marketing. For information specifically on generic drugs, please see the page About Generic Drugs; in brief, generic medications are chemically identical to their branded counterparts.
This site is not a pharmacy at all: rather, we act as an educational and informational portal. Our fulfillment partners, however, are fully licensed, and all of your prescriptions will be reviewed and filled by Canadian government licensed pharmacists and physicians.
Please note: We now work ONLY with CIPA Certified International Canadian Pharmacies which are fully IMPAC accredited (Internet & Mailorder Pharmacy Accreditation Commission). In addition, one of our two main suppliers is now a SquareTrade Licensed Pharmacy Program Member.
For orders paid by credit card and supported with a faxed prescription, you should receive your medications in 2-3 weeks.
Absolutely not! Many drugs, including controlled substances such as narcotics, cannot be imported.
Our fulfillment partners ship only to the United States and Canada.
Yes, just as with a local pharmacy, our fulfillment partners require a valid prescription from a licensed physician in your area. This can be sent via toll-free fax, or our fulfillment partners can contact your physician or local pharmacy on your behalf (free of charge).
No. We do not provide medical advice of any kind. However, if you would like the convenience of an online medical consultation from a U.S.-based service offering a narrower range of medications which their physicians believe may be safely prescribed over the internet, we can confidently recommend our sister site:
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