Seems that there's a growing trade in Americans ordering prescription drugs from Canada because prices are 38 per cent lower on average. Further, some U.S. cities and states are considering ordering from Canada as part of their state medical plan.
Has anyone done any cross-border drug shopping?
QUOTE
Because the United States is the only developed nation that does not regulate drug prices and therefore charges the highest prices in the world for many popular prescription drugs, the cost savings to consumers and governments can be vast. According to a U.S. congressional study, drug prices in Canada are on average 38 per cent lower than in the United States, and some drugs sell in Canada for less than half the U.S. price.
. . .
It began last week, when the state of Illinois announced that it plans to purchase all the drugs for its state medical plans from Canadian sources, after it commissioned a study that showed that such cross-border purchases could save it $91-million a year.
On Monday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he wanted his city to do the same (although he also criticized Canada's price-regulation system). The governors of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin and the mayors of several cities, including Boston, have followed suit.
. . .
It began last week, when the state of Illinois announced that it plans to purchase all the drugs for its state medical plans from Canadian sources, after it commissioned a study that showed that such cross-border purchases could save it $91-million a year.
On Monday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he wanted his city to do the same (although he also criticized Canada's price-regulation system). The governors of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin and the mayors of several cities, including Boston, have followed suit.