Slumping Economy is Driving Americans to the Web to Save on Prescription Drugs
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK — April 6, 2009 — The amount of people searching for prescription drugs online jumped 34% from the first quarter of last year to the first quarter of this year according to PharmacyChecker.com, based on analysis of traffic to its site, a leading destination for consumers seeking to safely save on prescription drugs. The jump in traffic to www.PharmacyChecker.com indicates that more people are looking to reduce drug spending.
"In these rough times, more people are searching to find medication at lower cost and we are glad to help," said Tod Cooperman, MD, President of PharmacyChecker.com. "The alternative is to stop treatment, which can be disastrous." A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that forty percent of Americans have trouble paying for drugs and twenty-nine percent of these people have skipped a prescription due to cost.
The PharmacyChecker.com site allows consumers to compare prices on drugs available from licensed pharmacies in the U.S. as well as in Canada and other regulated countries -- which are most likely to offer the highest savings to Americans on brand name medication. PharmacyChecker.com monitors these sites for compliance with the membership terms of its Verification Program that include pharmacy license verification, checking prescription requirements, and mystery shopping.
"The U.S. government permits personal importation of medications even though, technically, importation is not legal," noted Dr. Cooperman. "Americans should take full advantage of this opportunity if they do not have drug coverage or if their coverage makes medication too costly. Brand name medications can often be purchased at a 70% savings abroad. Similar savings on generics can be found right in the U.S. by price shopping online. But it's most important to avoid sites, whether U.S. or foreign, that have not been verified."
PharmacyChecker.com operates the largest independent verification service of U.S. and foreign online pharmacies. Its verifications are used by Google adWords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and Microsoft adCenter to qualify online pharmacy advertisers, providing visitors a safer shopping experience. It also provides one of the largest drug price comparison websites, which is free to consumers.
PharmacyChecker.com is a privately held company based in New York. It has no ownership in or from companies that sell or distribute pharmacy products. The company also operates www.MedicareDrugPlans.com where seniors can compare, rate, and review Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.
Contact: Gabriel Levitt at glevitt@pharmacychecker.com or 718-387-4526
