canadianmedsusa.com – Prescription Drugs, Online Pharmacy service General Information

Introduction

Over the past several years, there has been a great deal of publicity about the number of U.S. citizens who are turning to Canadian pharmacies, as well as licensed international pharmacies in other countries, to save money on their prescription drugs. However, many seniors and other Americans who would like to use this option to save money on their medications have hesitated to use online pharmacies because of the confusion and misinformation surrounding the safety and legality of doing so. This Summary is intended to provide accurate information regarding the legality and safety of ordering prescriptions online, particularly Canadian drugs, along with information about our key policies and an outline of the order process.

New Options for Ordering Your Prescription Drugs

Recently, in an attempt to stop cross-border sales from Canada, a number of major pharmaceutical manufacturers have restricted sales of their products to Canadian mail order pharmacies that serve U.S. citizens – resulting in artificial shortages, delays in filling orders and higher prices. As a result, we have taken steps to provide you with new options so you can continue to obtain safe, lower cost medications from outside the U.S. After a thorough review, Total Care Pharmacy and Canadian Meds USA are pleased to offer you the option of purchasing your medications from Britain (also known as the United Kingdom or UK), by using Total Care and CMUSA as your agents. This is one of several new overseas options in our continuing efforts to provide you with the best possible price for safe, high quality medications.

Savings

Why are drugs so much cheaper in Canada and other countries? The governments of Canada, the UK and other “first-world” countries control the price of drugs, whereas the U.S. government does not. How much money can an individual save by buying prescriptions from Canada or the UK? The savings varies on a drug-by-drug basis and the range of savings per drug may be anywhere from 15% to 80%. 30% to 50% 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 will result 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. (By FDA regulation, prescriptions cannot be filled for more than a 3-month supply on any given order.)

Availability

Not all drugs that are available in the U.S. are available in Canada or the UK. 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 Total Care Pharmacy, will not fill prescriptions for narcotics or controlled substances.

Safety & Quality

Canadian and UK pharmacies are regulated just as strictly as U.S. pharmacies, and they have exceptionally 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 Total Care Pharmacy (Alberta, Canada License No. 1537), licenses are issued and regulated by the Alberta College of Pharmacists. Recently, 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. Additionally, the generic drugs used by millions of Canadian and UK citizens are subject to the same strict approval process as brand name drugs. 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. Further safety precautions abound. Moreover, many of the drugs sold are in fact manufactured in the same plants that manufacture the drugs sold in the U.S. Anyone ordering prescription drugs from Canada, the UK or other selected countries should be aware that the pharmacies and pharmacists who fill the prescriptions, as well as the physicians who review the prescriptions, although 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 re-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 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) that is obtaining prescription drugs from a licensed pharmacy outside the U.S.

Moreover, there are efforts under way in the United States Congress to change the law and make it completely legal for individuals to buy their medications from Canada and other countries. There is a substantial amount of bi-partisan support in Congress for this change to the Act. In the meantime, there is no indication of any kind, despite strong opposition by the pharmaceutical industry, that the federal government is considering any change in its policy of “non-enforcement” regarding the re-importation of prescription drugs by individuals. In fact, the FDA in recent testimony before Congress clearly stated that it will not move to stop individuals from ordering drugs from Canada, and further, that the U.S. Customs Dept. will not “shut down the border”.

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.

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 articles in newspapers and other publications around the country.

Canadian Meds USA (“CMUSA”) is located in Denver, Colorado and is affiliated with Total Care Pharmacy, a licensed Canadian pharmacy located in Calgary, Alberta – License No. 1537. CMUSA currently has 17,000 customers. All brand name and generic prescription drugs filled by Total Care Pharmacy are approved by Health Canada (the equivalent of the FDA here in the U.S.), which are then filled by Total Care and mailed directly to the customer’s home. Unlike most Canadian 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 $5.00 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 by Total Care, plus a flat shipping charge of $9.95. By ordering through CMUSA, the customer also gets a U.S. point-of-contact and a full-service staff dedicated to providing outstanding customer service.

[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, especially with respect to refills.]

CMUSA Mission Statement

CMUSA was founded with the objective of making a safe, reliable, “senior-friendly”, honest and highly price-competitive prescription drug service available to all Americans from Canada, the UK and other selected countries, 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, Total Care Pharmacy and other approved, licensed pharmacies in selected countries maintain the highest professional and ethical standards regarding the confidentiality of customer information. CMUSA, Total Care Pharmacy and other participating pharmacies will not release or otherwise share any information received from the customer with any other persons or entities, other than the reviewing licensed physician, 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. CMUSA complies with all applicable federal HIPAA health information privacy rules. For more information, please contact us for a copy of our complete Privacy Policy.

How the Order Process Works

	The customer must have a prescription from a licensed U.S. doctor
	Orders can be placed in 3 different ways:
	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)
	2.	By mail to CMUSA
	3.	By fax to CMUSA
	In addition to his or her prescriptions, the customer needs to obtain, fill out and forward the following forms to CMUSA. SEPARATELY COMPLETED AND SIGNED FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR EACH PERSON SUBMITTING PRESCRIPTIONS, INCLUDING HUSBANDS AND WIVES.
		3-page Patient Medical Profile (required to fill out only once)
		4-page Customer Agreement (also required to fill out only once)
	Upon receipt by CMUSA, orders are checked to make sure that all of the required information has been received and, if a personal check or money order is being used, to make sure the check amount is correct for the drugs being ordered, strengths, number of days supply, etc. The order is then forwarded to Total Care Pharmacy in Calgary, Alberta.
	On initial orders for new prescriptions, a licensed Canadian (or other selected country) doctor reviews the prescriptions and the patient’s medical profile, co-signs the prescriptions to make them valid in Canada (or other selected country), and sends them back to the pharmacy. Refills do not require review by the Canadian (or other selected country) doctor .
	Total Care Pharmacy (or the approved, licensed pharmacy in a selected country other than Canada) then fills the prescriptions and mails them directly to the customer.
	Whenever U.S.-approved generic versions of brand name drugs are available, the general policy of Total Care Pharmacy 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.
	Total Care Pharmacy will automatically send the customer a 90-day supply (so long as the number of refills specified is sufficient).
	DELIVERY. Initial orders for new prescriptions are generally delivered approximately 21 days after a complete order has been received by the pharmacy. Refills are generally delivered in approximately 10 to 14 days. However, if new prescriptions are added, additional time is needed for the Canadian (or other selected country) doctor to review them.
	REFILLS. For refills of existing prescriptions, Total Care Pharmacy will include a “Refill Request Form” with each shipment that lists all of 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 approximately 3 weeks in advance for straight refills, or 4 weeks in advance if you also have a new (or new “replacement”) prescription to be filled. Please be sure to include any changes that need to be noted. Additionally, you must let us know if you are changing your method of payment or want to use a different credit card. As in the case of your initial order, new “replacement” prescriptions must be reviewed and approved by a licensed Canadian (or other selected country) doctor.
	PLEASE NOTE THAT PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
	Additionally, as is the case under U.S. law, CANADIAN LAW PROHIBITS PHARMACIES FROM REUSING OR RESELLING ANY PRESCRIPTION DRUGS THAT ARE RETURNED FOR ANY REASON. (Alberta College of Pharmacists Standard 5.1(m) – Standards of Practice) Accordingly, refunds or credits are issued only in cases where either Total Care Pharmacy or Canadian Meds USA has made an error.

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 with Canadian Meds USA. 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. [PLEASE NOTE THAT 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

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