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Introduction
Since 2001, you may have seen various news stories about U.S.
citizens who have turned to Canadian pharmacies, as well as
licensed sources in other trusted countries, to save money on
their prescription drugs. However, many Americans who have
little or no insurance and would like to use this option to save
money on their medications may have hesitated to do so because
of confusion and misinformation about the safety and legality of
doing so. This Information Summary provides accurate information
about safety and legality, along with information regarding
Canadian Meds USA’s key policies and our guidelines for
placing orders.
New Options for Ordering Your Prescription Drugs
In an attempt to stop cross-border sales from Canada, a number
of major pharmaceutical manufacturers have restricted sales of
their products to licensed Canadian mail order pharmacies that
serve U.S. citizens – resulting in artificial shortages, delays
in filling orders and higher prices. As a result, Canadian
Meds USA (“CMUSA”) and its partnered Canadian pharmacy took
steps to provide new options so our customers could continue to
obtain safe, lower cost medications from outside the U.S. Today,
CMUSA is proud to be able to offer you the option of
purchasing your medications from licensed sources
in the UK (United Kingdom), the European Union (EU),
Australia, New Zealand and Israel, in
addition to Canada. These new overseas options are part of
our continuing efforts to provide you with the best possible
price for safe, high quality medications.
Savings
Why are drugs from Canada and these other countries so much
cheaper than in the U.S.? The answer is very straight forward.
Canada and these other “first-world” countries control the price
of drugs, whereas the U.S. does not. How much money can you
save? The savings varies on a drug-by-drug basis and the range
can be anywhere from 15% to 70%. A 30% to 50% savings is
common for many of the better-known drugs such as Celebrex,
Fosamax and Lipitor. Additionally, customers are encouraged to
obtain their prescriptions for a 3-month supply, with 3 refills,
since this results in the greatest savings. By doing so, you
only pay the shipping charge once every 3 months. However,
orders can still be placed for less than a 90-day supply if the
quantity requested matches the package size for that drug.
Availability
Not all drugs that are available in the U.S. are available from
these license and regulated overseas sources. Additionally,
while the same drug may be available in Canada or other selected
countries, it may not come in all the same strengths. In other
cases, there may be a time lag before a newly introduced drug in
the U.S. becomes available in Canada or other countries.
Additionally, reputable online pharmacies, including Summit
Meds, our affiliated Canadian pharmacy, do not fill
prescriptions for narcotics or controlled substances.
Safety & Quality
Canadian pharmacies, as well as those in the UK, the EU,
Australia, etc. are regulated just as strictly as U.S.
pharmacies, and they have high standards for drug
manufacturing, distribution and sale. Health Canada (the
counterpart in Canada to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration)
oversees Canada’s strict regulatory scheme, with specific
regulatory authority delegated to the provincial governments. In
the case of Summit Meds’ Glenway Pharmacy (Manitoba, Canada
License No. 32173), its license is issued and regulated by the
Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association. In 2003, at the request
of members of the U.S. Congress, the Congressional Research
Service completed an analysis that confirmed that the Canadian
prescription drug regulatory system is substantially
equivalent to that of the United States in all material
respects. In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”), a division of the UK Dept. of
Health, is responsible for administering the systems by which
licenses to manufacture, market, distribute sell and supply
prescription drugs are granted. The British Royal Pharmacy Board
licenses pharmacies and pharmacists in the UK. Comparable
regulatory systems apply to the other countries in which our
licensed sources are located. Nevertheless, anyone ordering
prescription drugs from Canada or these other countries should
be aware that the sources utilized, while fully licensed in
their respective countries, are not licensed in the U.S.
Legality; Pending Legislation
The federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (“Act”) currently
prohibits the importation of prescription drugs into the United
States by anyone other than the original manufacturer.
Additionally, the Act makes no distinction between individuals
and corporations or other commercial entities. As a result,
under current law, it is true that individuals who purchase
prescription drugs from sources outside the U.S., and either
import or reimport them into the U.S., are in violation of the
Food Drug and Cosmetic Act. However, it is also true that the
Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Customs Department, for
a number of reasons, have intentionally chosen not to
enforce the law – so long as it is an individual (as
opposed to a corporation or commercial entity) who is obtaining
prescription drugs from a licensed source outside the U.S. It is
also important to note that CMUSA, in its role as a facilitator
of the order process, is not in violation of the law.
Simply stated, CMUSA does not “cause” its customers to place
orders. What CMUSA does do is provide assistance and customer
service.
It’s also important to note that there have been efforts under
way in the United States Congress for several years to change
the law and make it fully legal for individuals to buy
their medications from Canada and other selected countries.
There is substantial bi-partisan support in Congress for this
change. At the same time, despite strong opposition by the
pharmaceutical industry, the federal government has continued
its policy of “non-enforcement” regarding the importation of
prescription drugs by individuals.
CMUSA BELIEVES THAT THE FACTS ABOUT THE LEGALITY OF ORDERING
DRUGS FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S. SHOULD BE FULLY DISCLOSED TO ITS
CUSTOMERS. FURTHERMORE, CMUSA ROUTINELY ADVISES PROSPECTIVE
CUSTOMERS THAT THEY SHOULD CONSIDER PURCHASING PRESCRIPTIONS
FROM CANADA (OR ELSEWHERE) ONLY IF THEY ARE COMPLETELY
COMFORTABLE DOING SO.
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Canadian Meds USA
Canadian Meds USA was the subject of a report by Peter Jennings
on ABC World News Tonight in March 2002, and since then has been
reported on by Fox News nationally, the Associated Press, the
Wall Street Journal, various local television stations, and in
numerous newspaper articles.
Canadian Meds USA (“CMUSA”) is located in Denver,
Colorado and is affiliated with Summit Meds located in
Winnipeg, Manitoba. Summit Meds operates Glenway Pharmacy
in Winnipeg (Manitoba License No. 32173). Since commencing
business in 2001, CMUSA has assisted more than 20,000
customers. All brand name and generic prescription drugs
filled by Summit Meds are mailed directly to the customer’s
home. Unlike most prescription drug services, CMUSA
accepts personal checks and money orders, in addition to
MasterCard and VISA. CMUSA does not charge a membership fee, and
there are no hidden fees. Other than a flat $10.00 processing
fee that applies when a personal check or money order is used to
make payment, the customer pays only the “published” price in
effect on the date the order is processed, plus a flat
shipping charge of $10.00 per package.
[Note: CMUSA’s policy is to process checks “as is” if they are
within $5.00, either above or below, the correct amount,
including the shipping charge and check processing fee. If a
check is received that involves an overage greater than $5.00, a
refund for the full amount of the overage is automatically
refunded. If the check is more than $5.00 short, the customer is
called and asked whether they wish to cancel their order or mail
a supplemental check for the difference. Customers who are able
to use a credit card are encouraged to do so, since the use of a
personal check may add several days to the order processing
time.]
CMUSA Mission Statement
CMUSA was founded in order to make safe, reliable,
“customer-friendly”, honest and highly price-competitive
prescription drug service from Canada, the UK and other selected
countries available to all Americans, whether or not they have
access to the internet, no matter where they live, and without
regard to whether they have a credit card. CMUSA is committed to
providing outstanding customer service and pledges to
continually evaluate its performance and policies against this
standard.
CMUSA Privacy Policy
CMUSA and Summit Meds maintain the highest professional and
ethical standards regarding the confidentiality of customer
information. CMUSA and Summit Meds will not release or otherwise
share any information received from the customer with any other
persons or entities other than the customer for whom the order
is being placed or the U.S. physician who prescribed the
medications ordered without the express written consent of the
customer. For more information, please contact us for a copy of
our complete Privacy Policy.
How the Order Process Works
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The customer must have a prescription from a licensed U.S.
doctor |
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Orders can be placed in 4 different ways: |
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1. |
By using a computer to access CMUSA’s website and place the order “online”
(Note: This option is available only if the customer uses a credit card, and all
prescriptions must still be either faxed or mailed to CMUSA) |
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2. |
By mail to CMUSA |
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3. |
By toll-free fax to CMUSA |
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4. |
For refills of existing
prescriptions, by toll-free telephone to CMUSA’s call
center. |
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In addition to his or her
prescriptions, the customer needs to obtain, fill out
and forward the following forms to CMUSA: |
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1-page Patient Medical Profile
(required to fill out only once, although any changes in
the customer’s health status and profile information
should also be provided) |
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1-page Customer Agreement (also
required to fill out only once)
(Note: Authorizing a country or region other than Canada
on the Customer Agreement does not
automatically result in you receiving drugs from that
country! You always have the right to specify the
licensed sources from which your order is to be filled –
on an “order-by-order” basis. |
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Summit Meds,
through Glenway Pharmacy in Winnipeg, PacificCare
Pharmacy (Summit Meds’ primary overseas dispensing
pharmacy), or other licensed pharmacy in one of
the other selected countries, then fills the
prescriptions and mails them directly to the customer. |
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Whenever
U.S.-approved generic versions of brand name drugs are
available, and prescription allows substitution, the
general policy of Summit Meds is to automatically
substitute the generic version in order to maximize
the customer’s savings. However, either the U.S.
physician or the customer can specify on a drug-by-drug
basis that no substitution is allowed. |
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Summit Meds
will automatically send the customer a 90-day supply
(so long as the number of refills specified is
sufficient). |
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DELIVERY.
Orders are generally delivered in 10 to 21 days
after a complete order has been received by
the pharmacy.. The delivery time for new
prescriptions may be slightly longer than for refills of
existing prescriptions. |
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REFILLS.
For refills of existing prescriptions, Summit Meds
provides a “Refill Request Form” with each
shipment that lists your current medications, including
strength, Rx #, quantity and number of refills remaining
for each medication. You should then fax or mail
this form to Canadian Meds USA, along with any new or
new replacement prescriptions when you are ready to
have your next order filled. Customers should call,
fax or mail their refill requests to Canadian Meds USA.
You should submit your Refill Request Form, along with
new or replacement prescriptions, approximately 4 weeks
in advance of the date your current supply of medication
will be used up. Please be sure to include any
changes that need to be made, such as telephone number,
address, credit card, etc. |
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PLEASE
NOTE THAT PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. |
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Additionally, as is the case under U.S. law, Canadian
law (as well as the laws of our other source countries)
PROHIBITS THE RE-USING OR RESELLING ANY PRESCRIPTION
DRUGS THAT ARE RETURNED FOR ANY REASON. Refunds
or credits are therefore issued only in cases where
either Summit Meds or CMUSA has made an error. |
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Information Packets and Price Quotes
CMUSA will mail or fax complete information packets to
prospective customers upon request, free of charge,
including the forms needed to place an order. Additionally,
prospective customers can request a FREE PRICE QUOTE
for the prescription medications they are taking by calling
CMUSA toll-free at 1-877-933-0505. [However,
because of the fact that prices are subject to change
without notice, the issuance of a price quote does not
constitute a price guarantee.]
If you have any questions, please contact us:
Email:
info@canadianmedsusa.com
Toll-free telephone no.: 1-877-933-0505
Rev’d 71508
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