80% of US Voters Demand Acess to Cheaper Imported Pills
Americans are demanding a lower fairer price on their prescription pharmacy needs.
According to an article posted on July18, 2005 by Lisa Huriash, a staff writer for Sun-Sentinel, the AARP, has just released a national survey showing that four out of every five older Americans support the importation of cheaper prescription drugs.
Lisa, writes that Florence Socolov was among the first of the bus loads of consumers who had turned to Canadian and Canadian pharmacies to purchase medicines and tablets. Florence needs medicines to help increase the strength of her bones and the medication was cheaper over the border than at home in Fort Lauderdale.
Evidently, Florence noticed an advertisement in a Jewish magazine that offered an alternative to Canada. Now the 74 year old shops on the Internet and orders her medication from Israel. She can now find lower prices than those at Canadian pharmacies. There is also another little benefit she feels.
"There are enough companies that are being strangled into not doing business with Israel [because of political boycotts], and if I can do anything at all in my small way I will do it," she said.
Advertisers in national Jewish newspapers and magazines are often promoting lower prices and solidarity with their cause. The adverts tell shoppers they'll be "saving money and supporting the Israeli economy at the same time. "For her first order, placed in May, Florence paid $115.80 for a dozen 70 mg tablets of Fosamax, plus $9.99 for shipping. The same order could have cost $210.79 at a Walgreens in Tamarac, and $133.23 from Canada Prescriptions Plus, an online supplier of prescription drugs.
Like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of Western Europe, the Israeli government either establishes drug prices and or allows approved generic lines where patents have expired, to compete and thereby keeping prices down.
The prices can be as much as 70 to 80 percent lower in Israel, Mexico and India. Some brand name drugs are identical and others are generic products that use the same chemical constituents.
Critics say Americans who buy from other countries are compromising safety for cost."Many Canadian pharmacies have disclaimers that if you are hurt, you waive the right to sue them," said Tom McGinnis, the Food and Drug Administration's director of pharmacy affairs. If anything goes wrong with prescription drugs sold in the U.S., he said, consumers have recourse with the state pharmacy board and the FDA."It's more of a threat to public health of U.S. citizens because we don't know anything about these medications, how they are made, how they were stored and how they were shipped, as opposed to your state licensed pharmacy.
Florence indicated she isn't swayed by arguments U.S. drugs are safer."The [American] drug companies are robbers. They are not very straight with us. They are greedy," she said. "I'm sure the drug companies of Canada do not wish to poison their people; Israel does not wish to poison its people.
Many drugs are manufactured sold in the USA are manufactured in other countries in the first place. Lipitor and Viagra are made in Ireland, for example. Nexium is produced in Sweden and France. Prevacid is made in Japan.
Many reputable companies use blister or foil packaging system to eliminate the threat of counterfeit drugs. they stamp the expiration date on two layers of labels. That became standard practice throughout Israel years ago to prevent acts of terrorism against the drug supply, she said. Some overseas online pharmacies have been in business for over 30 years and importing into the USA for the past decade.
Avi Fadida, marketing manager for IsraMeds.Fadida said two-thirds of his clients are Jewish and like the idea of helping Israel financially. "We have Jewish people asking, especially in New York, in the Brooklyn area, begging for the kosher medications," Fadida said. Because they are considered lifesaving, prescription drugs are not subject to Jewish dietary laws. But some mainstream products create an issue for observant Jews because of such ingredients as gelatin or glycerin, which are made from non-kosher animals.
Many overseas companies have identified that the bulk of their customers are older consumers without private health insurance plans, and Jews and evangelical Christians who want to support Israel with their wallets.
AARP was using the poll that shows 80% of Americans would support the idea of putting pressure on Congress to pass a bill that would set up a certification process for legally importing medicines from selected countries.
The idea that a closed market will somehow kill off the demand for affordable fair priced medicine will not work. It is better to open the market so that honest business people can work in an open way.
People power is like the tide - it will find a way to flow. To find reliable suppliers, DrugStoreBestBuys.com offer many relaible online pharmacy options compared, both local and overseas.
According to an article posted on July18, 2005 by Lisa Huriash, a staff writer for Sun-Sentinel, the AARP, has just released a national survey showing that four out of every five older Americans support the importation of cheaper prescription drugs.
Lisa, writes that Florence Socolov was among the first of the bus loads of consumers who had turned to Canadian and Canadian pharmacies to purchase medicines and tablets. Florence needs medicines to help increase the strength of her bones and the medication was cheaper over the border than at home in Fort Lauderdale.
Evidently, Florence noticed an advertisement in a Jewish magazine that offered an alternative to Canada. Now the 74 year old shops on the Internet and orders her medication from Israel. She can now find lower prices than those at Canadian pharmacies. There is also another little benefit she feels.
"There are enough companies that are being strangled into not doing business with Israel [because of political boycotts], and if I can do anything at all in my small way I will do it," she said.
Advertisers in national Jewish newspapers and magazines are often promoting lower prices and solidarity with their cause. The adverts tell shoppers they'll be "saving money and supporting the Israeli economy at the same time. "For her first order, placed in May, Florence paid $115.80 for a dozen 70 mg tablets of Fosamax, plus $9.99 for shipping. The same order could have cost $210.79 at a Walgreens in Tamarac, and $133.23 from Canada Prescriptions Plus, an online supplier of prescription drugs.
Like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of Western Europe, the Israeli government either establishes drug prices and or allows approved generic lines where patents have expired, to compete and thereby keeping prices down.
The prices can be as much as 70 to 80 percent lower in Israel, Mexico and India. Some brand name drugs are identical and others are generic products that use the same chemical constituents.
Critics say Americans who buy from other countries are compromising safety for cost."Many Canadian pharmacies have disclaimers that if you are hurt, you waive the right to sue them," said Tom McGinnis, the Food and Drug Administration's director of pharmacy affairs. If anything goes wrong with prescription drugs sold in the U.S., he said, consumers have recourse with the state pharmacy board and the FDA."It's more of a threat to public health of U.S. citizens because we don't know anything about these medications, how they are made, how they were stored and how they were shipped, as opposed to your state licensed pharmacy.
Florence indicated she isn't swayed by arguments U.S. drugs are safer."The [American] drug companies are robbers. They are not very straight with us. They are greedy," she said. "I'm sure the drug companies of Canada do not wish to poison their people; Israel does not wish to poison its people.
Many drugs are manufactured sold in the USA are manufactured in other countries in the first place. Lipitor and Viagra are made in Ireland, for example. Nexium is produced in Sweden and France. Prevacid is made in Japan.
Many reputable companies use blister or foil packaging system to eliminate the threat of counterfeit drugs. they stamp the expiration date on two layers of labels. That became standard practice throughout Israel years ago to prevent acts of terrorism against the drug supply, she said. Some overseas online pharmacies have been in business for over 30 years and importing into the USA for the past decade.
Avi Fadida, marketing manager for IsraMeds.Fadida said two-thirds of his clients are Jewish and like the idea of helping Israel financially. "We have Jewish people asking, especially in New York, in the Brooklyn area, begging for the kosher medications," Fadida said. Because they are considered lifesaving, prescription drugs are not subject to Jewish dietary laws. But some mainstream products create an issue for observant Jews because of such ingredients as gelatin or glycerin, which are made from non-kosher animals.
Many overseas companies have identified that the bulk of their customers are older consumers without private health insurance plans, and Jews and evangelical Christians who want to support Israel with their wallets.
AARP was using the poll that shows 80% of Americans would support the idea of putting pressure on Congress to pass a bill that would set up a certification process for legally importing medicines from selected countries.
The idea that a closed market will somehow kill off the demand for affordable fair priced medicine will not work. It is better to open the market so that honest business people can work in an open way.
People power is like the tide - it will find a way to flow. To find reliable suppliers, DrugStoreBestBuys.com offer many relaible online pharmacy options compared, both local and overseas.
posted by Clive Wallace at 12:03 AM
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