White Plains, New York – August 19th, 2022 – The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing has announced its chosen vendors to operate a state-sponsored program to allow for the wholesale importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada. The program is authorized under state law and federal law, upon approval from the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Brand name drugs cost on average 70.18% less in Canada than in the United States and are usually made in the same countries, whether Canada, the U.S., European Union, or in other high-income countries, according to PharmacyChecker research.
“We applaud the state of Colorado for inching closer to a system whereby Coloradans can access lower drug prices at their neighborhood pharmacies,” stated PharmacyChecker president and co-founder Gabriel Levitt. “It’s no secret that Americans trek across the border or use online pharmacies to obtain lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada, but the practice still lives in an area of grey legality. Our work to verify the safest international online pharmacies has certainly helped such patients avoid dangerous rogue pharmacy sites. Now, states like Colorado are setting up rational pharmaceutical distribution systems, expanding and improving access to safely imported and more affordable prescription drugs.”
Addressing the high costs of prescription drugs has been of public concern for decades, with recent Kaiser Family Foundation polling showing that 83% of adults believe the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable. High drug prices at local U.S. pharmacies explain why 30% of adults report not taking their medicine as prescribed. The Inflation Reduction Act will help lower and constrain drug costs in Medicare. Still, importation remains a commonsense strategy for downward pressure on U.S. drug prices for the long term, especially among uninsured and privately insured Americans.
Since 2003, PharmacyChecker has vetted the legitimacy of online pharmacies operating in Canada and other countries in order to protect consumers online who search for ways to afford their medication. PharmacyChecker’s mission is to provide patients and their caregivers with the pharmacy safety and savings information necessary to make informed decisions regarding their prescription drug therapies.
About PharmacyChecker
PharmacyChecker, based in New York, is the only independent company that verifies the credentials of international mail order pharmacies with U.S. pharmacy pricing, publishing a list of accredited online pharmacies and comparisons of their drug prices. For more information, visit www.pharmacychecker.com.
Press Contact: Lucia Mueller, Director of Communications lucia.mueller@pharmacychecker.com
