Canadian connection/ Americans save money through online pharmacies

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Apr 8, 2002 | by Bill Radford

People struggling to afford their prescription medications are looking online for relief - and their search is leading them to Canada.

A handful of major Canadian online pharmacies - including www.canadameds.com, www.crossborderpharmacy.com and www.canadarx.net - have sprung up in the past year or two with the promise of substantial savings for American customers. Prices usually are lower because the Canadian government controls drug prices, and the U.S. dollar goes further in Canada.

Though the Food and Drug Administration frowns on the practice, the agency is doing little to stop it even as the online pharmacies gain popularity.

Technically, it generally is illegal to purchase prescription drugs from Canada and other countries. That can apply even to drugs manufactured in the United States and imported by Canada. But the only penalty the customer might face is the possibility of the shipment being confiscated - and that rarely happens.

The problem with buying drugs - even American-made drugs - from other countries, the FDA says, is that it can't monitor the storage and distribution of those drugs once they leave U.S. soil.

"We can't make any assurances to U.S. citizens that these drugs meet the same strength, quality and purity standards as a drug that they would buy from their local pharmacy or from a U.S.-based Internet pharmacy," says Tom McGinnis, director of pharmacy affairs for the FDA in Washington, D.C.

But such cautions aren't stopping seniors and others from using the Canadian Internet pharmacies. Customers generally include Medicare patients and others without prescription drug coverage or with high insurance co-payments.

"Business has been hectic," says Dave Robertson, head pharmacist for Calgary-based CrossBorderPharmacy.com, which launched its service in February. "There are a lot of seniors who tell us if they don't buy from us, they simply can't afford their medication."

Savings vary and not all drugs are available. CrossBorderPharmacy.com, for example, will not sell narcotics to American patients. Customers are encouraged to use the online pharmacy only for medications they have used for some time and are comfortable with, Robertson says.

"You shouldn't use a service like us for a medication that's your first time."

Rodney Brechtl, 56, of Colorado Springs buys two prescription medications from Canadameds.com for a thyroid condition. He pays about one-third of what he would pay in the United States, saving more than $100 over three months. His insurance doesn't pay for the medications.

He has been using Canadameds.com since August. "I just surfed the Internet," he says. "I just thought there was a better way to do this."

He says he was not informed of any legal issues by Canadameds.coms, but he has no doubt as to the safety and quality of the drugs. "It's the absolute same bottle I get at Wal-Mart, the same manufacturer, the same everything."

The FDA sent a letter to Canadameds.com in October, warning that the agency "is unable to determine that the drug products marketed by your firm have been made in accordance with the U.S. specifications and are the same products marketed legally in the United States." But the agency has taken little action beyond such letters.

"The FDA and Customs are basically just turning their heads the other way if and so long as it is an individual who is ordering the drugs," says Donald Bozarth, a Littleton executive and certified public accountant whose Canadian Meds USA acts as a middleman to connect people with a Canadian pharmacy it has contracted with. In addition, he notes, Congress is considering legislation to make it legal to buy drugs from Canada and a few other countries.

Bozarth researched the Canadian pharmacies in an effort to help his mother-in-law, who was having difficulty affording her medications. When she ended up saving more than $200 on a three- month order, "the light went on," Bozarth said. He incorporated his new business in October, and the Web site - www.canadianmedsusa.com - went active in December.

While people can deal directly with online Canadian pharmacies, his company adds another layer of customer service and helps people navigate a system they may find confusing or cumbersome, Bozarth says. Customers start with a prescription from their doctor and must complete a medical questionnaire and other forms. Once the information is received by the Canadian pharmacy, a Canadian doctor reviews it and issues a new prescription under his or her Canadian license. In some cases, the patient or an American doctor may be contacted. The whole process generally takes 21 days or less.

Bozarth says one aim of his company is to serve people without Internet access so that all can benefit from Canada's prices. A toll- free number has been set up at (877) 933-0505.

"A primary goal for us," he says, "is to extend this service to the seniors who otherwise would never be able to avail themselves. And they are the ones who are in the most dire need of this service."

- Bill Radford may be reached at 636-0272 or comics@gazette.com