More Americans Turn To Pharmacies Worldwide To Save Up To 80 Percent Off Drug Prices

CHICAGO -- For American consumers who cannot afford U.S. and Canadian drug prices, more are turning to pharmacies in other countries around the world. Buying their medications in countries like India, Israel and Fiji, consumers can save up to 80 percent or more off of exorbitant U.S. drug prices, and still receive the highest quality medications.

For instance, the cholesterol drug Lipitor sells at Walgreens online pharmacy in the U.S. for $84.99 for 30 tablets of 10 mgs, equal to $2.83 per pill. In contrast, the same medication costs $36.65 from Isrameds dot com, an Israeli

pharmacy, $35 at UnitedPharmacies dot com in Fiji, and $20 for a generic version of Lipitor from Inhousepharmacy dot com in Britain.

Foreign drug prices are generally much lower than U.S. prices because most industrialized countries manage the prices that drugmakers can charge consumers.

In addition, some drugmakers in Asia and Europe, like first-class manufacturers CIPLA and Ranbaxy, make generic versions of Norvasc, Zocor, Zoloft and many other branded medications that are not available at U.S. and Canadian pharmacies.

To ensure that consumers are satisfied with their purchases, consumer advocates urge patients to:

•Use a major credit card to make purchases. If there is a problem, the credit card company will not charge the consumer for the purchase in most cases.

•Do business with a reputable pharmacy and do not buy from pharmacies located in Russia, China, Korea and Pakistan, countries that are known for distributing counterfeit medications.

•Buy medications that are individually wrapped in foil-sealed blister packs, if possible, which helps ensure that medications are high quality and have not been tampered with.

Most reputable pharmacies will ship a replacement order to customers at no charge if their initial order is lost in the mail or held by customs authorities. Order processing takes one to three weeks in most cases.

Following are some international pharmacies with low drug prices that have been serving thousands of uninsured and underinsured American consumers for many years:

Isrameds, www dot isrameds dot com, call toll-free 866-477-2289

United Pharmacies, www dot unitedpharmacies dot com, call toll-free 800-214-6126

Inhouse Pharmacy, www dot inhousepharmacy dot com, call toll-free 800-868-9064

Overseas Rx Drugs, www dot overseasrxdrugs dot com, call toll-free 888-896-7851

The U.S. is recognized for having the world’s highest drug prices. And, the American pharmaceutical industry has been among the most profitable industries for nearly 30 years according to the Public Citizen consumer watchdog group.

More than 10 percent of the U.S. population or 40 million people, are uninsured.

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