It sometimes helps to
price shop over the telephone. The major drugstore
chains sometimes have special low prices for certain
medications (called "loss leaders") in an attempt to
draw you into their store. Check for these
specials in newspaper advertisements or by phoning the
pharmacies for price quotes.
Another option is to mail
order your medications from Canadian pharmacies.
An article in the Wall Street Journal by Laura
Johannes (January 18, 2001) describes the process:
"While politicians stand on their soapboxes and
wail about high prescription-drug prices in the U.S., a
growing number of Americans are quietly finding a
solution. By logging onto three different Web sites
owned and run by Canadian pharmacists and entrepreneurs,
U.S. residents are saving 20% to 50%, and
occasionally more, on prescription drugs, even after
dispensing and shipping fees.
The Internet is a far more convenient alternative
than the well-publicized 'us trips to Canada organized
for seniors last year by sympathetic legislators.
Government controls in Canada help keep prices low.
Customers ordering from Canada also enjoy a favorable
exchange rate: about 66 U.S. cents per Canadian dollar
Wednesday.
One catch: Ordering drugs from Canada to save
money is technically illegal in the U.S., though
authorities so far have mostly looked the other way.
Under U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines,
citizens can import up to three months of medicines for
personal use -- but only if those medicines are not
available in the U.S."
The websites described in the article are:
