Drug Importation Ask PharmacyChecker

April 30, 2024

Notorious for its cheap production costs, many consumer products in the United States are “MADE IN CHINA.” There are long-held concerns when it comes to this dynamic: about our national security, the economic well-being of the American middle class, how poor labor conditions amount to those online d... Read More

January 11, 2024

David Mitchell, president and founder of the advocacy organization Patients For Affordable Drugs, recently told Politico’s Prescription Pulse he used PharmacyChecker.com to find a reputable online pharmacy from which he could order affordable Eliquis.... Read More

December 20, 2023

The United States Pharmacopeia and Health Canada require that refrigerated medications maintain certain storage conditions throughout shipment and receipt by a patient. Read More

May 25, 2023

In Canada, it is illegal for residents to import prescription medication from other countries, except in certain limited circumstances. Read More

March 24, 2023

I am in line at the pharmacy counter and stifle a gasp when the person in front of me is presented with a $1200 prescription. He pays by credit card with, what appears to me, great hesitation. I’m next. Read More

March 10, 2023

If you order medication from abroad for personal use, the chances that it will be held at the border are incredibly slim. While the law allows the FDA and U.S. Read More

March 08, 2023

America’s opioid problem isn’t an international mail issue, yet the FDA keeps asking Congress to increase funding in order to expand efforts to seize shipments of opioids.... Read More

November 29, 2022

Importing medicine for personal use in Australia is legal but with important caveats. Australia’s government warns consumers against ordering medicine online because of the dangers of rogue online pharmacies. Read More

June 22, 2022

Senator Tim Kaine’s father is certainly not the only American who imports prescription medication from another country. Millions of Americans each year rely on filling their prescriptions internationally. Read More

March 30, 2022

Federal Law and Drug Labeling: Differing Definitions of An Imported Drug. Your medication is – most likely – not made in the United States.  Read More

March 10, 2022

On March 2nd, PORTAL (Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law) Research, led by Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, MD, JD, welcomed Gabriel Levitt, president and co-founder of PharmacyChecker.com, as the meeting’s guest speaker. Read More

February 14, 2022

The U.S. drug supply chain relies on pharmaceuticals produced in other countries and drugs are priced much lower in those foreign countries. Read More

February 08, 2022

The finding in this report, that 78% of APIs for the dataset of 100 drugs are imported, appears to corroborate the FDA’s ubiquitous datapoint of 80%, but this dataset consists only of brand name drugs. It is likely that an even higher percentage of generic drugs are imported. Read More

January 25, 2022

Which prescription drugs are most important to Americans in relation to the issues of drug importation, prices, safety – and even national security? This was a question we asked ourselves when thinking about the impact of our report, Note Made in the USA. Read More

January 18, 2022

In 2018, columnist and journalist David Lazarus from the Los Angeles Times wrote about how difficult it was to find out where prescription drugs are made. His article was called, “ Where do prescription drugs come from? Read More

January 12, 2022

Most of the expensive brand name drugs Americans purchase from local U.S. pharmacies are not made here.  Read More

January 05, 2022

Pharmaceutical Companies Don’t Manufacture Your Drugs in the United States. PharmacyChecker published a report called Not Made in the USA: The Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chain and Prospects for Safe Drug Importation. Read More

December 23, 2021

With opioid deaths only surging during the Covid-19 pandemic, this sounds like an excellent idea. But here’s the thing: the FDA already has a program for tackling online opioid drug dealers. So what’s this really about? Read More

June 07, 2021

As a patient consumer looking for information about more affordable prescription drugs on the Internet and from other countries, you may be interested to know the status of a lawsuit brought by the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA or “Big Pharma”). Read More

June 04, 2021

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is attempting to halt a rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under former President Donald Trump that would allow states to import drugs from Canada. Read More

April 29, 2021

Last night, in his speech before Congress, President Biden called for allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices to bring down the cost of drugs in the United States. Before thinking this is some liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Read More

March 05, 2021

Elected leaders of state governments recognize that prescription drug prices are out-of-control expensive in America. After all, the same and most expensive prescription drugs sold here cost on average 75% lower in other high-income countries. Voters are rightfully fuming. Read More

February 05, 2021

The Rand Corporation has released an impressive study showing that brand name drugs cost far more in the United States than in other countries – on average 344% more. Read More

December 09, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden asserted that he wants to “put a stop to runaway drug prices and the profiteering of the drug industry.” President Trump is famous for saying the drug companies are “getting away with murder.” Whatever the soundbite, drug prices are too high. Read More

August 20, 2020

Being stuck far from home is already traumatic and stressful enough. But finding yourself abroad without your medication can be downright dangerous. Read More

July 27, 2020

Three executive orders were signed by President Donald Trump last week. One of them is all about drug importation: measures already underway and new actions to help Americans buy more affordable prescription drugs from other countries. Read More

June 29, 2020

Pharmaceutical companies price drugs to maximize profits. Considering the fact that they are for-profit, publicly-traded companies, operating in a free-market economy, should this surprise us? Read More

June 26, 2020

Domperidone, sold under the brand name Motilium, is a medication prescribed for nausea and vomiting. Patients have also used it to encourage breast milk production, although it is not approved for this use in any country. Read More

May 20, 2020

If you had never heard of Galvus Met or Galvus, you’re not alone. Galvus (vildagliptin) is a diabetes medication approved for market in over 120 countries, including those in the European Union (EU), Japan, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Read More

December 29, 2019

Namenda made in the U.S. is sold outside the U.S. for 94% cheaper. And Americans can easily order it directly to their door. A 94% difference sounds like an exaggerated scam, but it’s sadly (or ‘fortunately’ considering you can take advantage of the cheaper price?) true. Read More

March 14, 2019

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—is responsible for regulating medications approved for sale in the United States. Read More

February 12, 2019

Foreign versions of drugs sold in the U.S, like Zoloft, are not exactly the same as the ones sold here. This answer is based on the fact that Zoloft may contain different inactive ingredients. The Zoloft sold in Canadian pharmacies is in capsule form instead of a tablet like in the U.S. Read More

December 21, 2018

In general, while it’s technically federally prohibited, you can drive to Mexico, buy medication and bring it back, as long as it's for your personal use. Read More

December 11, 2018

In general, you can drive to Canada, buy medication and bring it back, as long as it's for your personal use. When crossing the Canadian border, the U.S. Read More