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* YES YOU CAN!
Great news for all Americans! The U.S. has approved to allow
imported drugs from Canada.
LA Times October 4 / 2006
The federal government plans to halt
a controversial crackdown on discount drugs mailed from Canadian
pharmacies to U.S. customers, removing a significant hurdle to
Americans buying cheaper medications from abroad.
The Department of Homeland Security,
which operates the Customs and Border Protection agency, disclosed
this week that it would halt confiscation of Canadian drugs Monday
and instead conduct random sampling ...
| Feds: Canadian Drugs Allowed Into U.S.
CBS News WASHINGTON, July 11, 2006 Read Article |
Senate Approves Rx Drug Import Plan CBS News ORLANDO, Fla.,
Oct. 4, 2006 Read Article |
Yes you can continue to order your prescription drugs from
Canada with confidence. Despite the Canadian and US governments
taking some action to deter you from ordering, World Canadian
Pharmacy can and will continue to service our customers in the
US and World Wide. We will continue to offer the same reliable
service and follow the same strict regulations to ship your products
safely.
We are still here to serve you!
With the new Medicare programs implemented in the US, buying
from a Canadian discount pharmacy will still offer better alternatives
to help you save money. We can still offer better prices and
be very competitive on most medications. We appreciate all our
customers who have looked to us for their savings and we hope
all will continue to see the value of using World Canadian Pharmacy
for their alternative to discount medications.
The War On Prescription Drugs:
Dosanjh Asks Provinces To Be Vigilant With
Internet Pharmacies
Friday, December 03, 2004
OTTAWA (CP) - On the heels of his well-publicized call for medical
watchdogs to crack down on doctors working for Internet pharmacies,
Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh is asking his provincial counterparts
to do their part. In a letter written late last month, Dosanjh
told provincial health ministers he expects their regulatory
authorities "to remain vigilant in enforcing their standards
of professional conduct."...
Cross Border Drugs (USA Today)
Canada: Country cannot be U.S. drug store
BOSTON (AP) — Canada's health minister said Wednesday
that his country "cannot be the drug store of the United
States" — a warning that comes as several states are
pushing to buy low-cost prescription drugs north of the border....
Non Diabetics Should Watch Blood
Sugar, Too
A study finds high levels are a heart risk even if
people don't have the disease.By Steven Reinberg
Health Day Reporter
MONDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDayNews) -- High blood sugar levels
aren't a heart disease concern for diabetics only.
While it has been long known that diabetics have higher odds
of heart disease and stroke when their blood sugar is not controlled,
a new study suggests a high glucose mark is a risk factor in
non diabetics as well. "Diabetes is well-recognized to be
associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease,"
said lead author Dr. Kay-Tee Khaw, a professor at the School
of Clinical Medicine at the University of Cambridge in England.
However, even in people who do not have diabetes, levels of
glycated hemoglobin, which is an indicator of long-term blood
glucose level, predicted cardiovascular disease incidence and
total mortality in 10,232 men and women aged 45 to 79 living
in the general community in Britain, who were followed up over
six years, she said.
The relationship of cardiovascular disease and mortality was
continuous and increased with increasing blood glucose levels,
even across the normal, non diabetic range, in a linear relationship,
Khaw said.
According to the report, an increase of glycated hemoglobin
of 1 percent was associated with about a 25 percent higher risk
of death. "Fifteen percent of the deaths occur in the 4
percent of the population with diabetes or glycated hemoglobin
levels of 7 percent or more, but 72 percent occurred in those
with glycated hemoglobin levels above the optimal level of less
than 5 percent," she said. The increased risk was independent
of classical cardiovascular disease risk factors including age,
blood pressure, blood lipids, cigarette smoking and body mass
index, Khaw said. The report appears in the Sept. 21 issue of
the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"Even in persons without diabetes, higher levels of glycated
hemoglobin may indicate persons at higher risk of cardiovascular
disease," Khaw said. "This may be helpful in identifying
those who may benefit most from preventive interventions, such
as cholesterol-lowering or blood pressure- lowering medication."
Khaw said there is no evidence from intervention studies that
lowering blood glucose levels in people who do not have diabetes
may reduce heart disease.
"However, we already know from trials that behavioral
interventions, such as physical activity and reduction of obesity,
can reduce blood glucose levels and prevent diabetes in high-risk
individuals. This may strengthen existing advice for lifestyle
modification to prevent cardiovascular disease in the general
population," she said.
In another report in the same journal, Elizabeth Selvin, a
graduate student in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and her colleagues
add to the evidence of the connection between high blood sugar
and heart disease among diabetics.
Selvin's team reviewed 13 previously published studies on
the relationship between glycosylated hemoglobin and heart disease
risk.
They found that people with type 2 diabetes had an 18 percent
increased risk for cardiovascular disease for each 1 percent
increase in glycosylated hemoglobin level. In addition, people
with type 1 diabetes had a 15 percent increase risk for cardiovascular
disease risk for each 1 percent increase in glycosylated hemoglobin
level.
"In persons with diabetes, it is clear that known risk
factors for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure,
high cholesterol and smoking should be treated aggressively,"
Selvin said. "But our study suggests that patients and physicians
should also be paying attention to blood sugar levels to prevent
heart disease in persons with diabetes. Our results suggest that
lowering glucose levels in persons with diabetes may further
reduce their risk of heart disease."
"It is clear from the two articles that an abnormal glucose
level is now well-established as a risk factor for future heart
attacks and strokes and deaths from cardiovascular disease,"
said Hertzel Gerstein, a professor of medicine at McMaster University
in Canada.
Gerstein, the author of an accompanying editorial, said glucose
levels should be considered in the same way as cholesterol levels
or blood pressure. "It's a marker for cardiovascular risk
in everybody, not just in people with diabetes," he added.
To combat high glucose, Gerstein recommends moderate physical
activity and eating less. "We know that if everybody were
able to make these minor changes, they would reduce their risk
of diabetes and rises in glucose levels," he said.
More information: Learn about risk factors for heart
disease from the American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org ).
Prescription Drugs Affect Unborn Babies
As reported in USA Today.
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women who use a serotonin reuptake
inhibitor (SSRI) to treat depression or other psychiatric problems
during pregnancy may be putting their infants at risk for neurobehavioral
problems, report investigators publishing in this month's Pediatrics.
The lifetime risk for depression in women ranges from 10 percent
to 25 percent, with the peak prevalence occurring during the
childbearing years. Some reports suggest as many as 14 percent
of pregnant women suffer from depression and up to 35 percent
of women use antidepressants during pregnancy. Studies involving
infants exposed to SSRIs in the womb have shown few ill effects,
so most doctors believe these drugs can be safely prescribed
for pregnant women. However, most of these studies have only
compared major outcomes, such as physical growth and complications
evident on the medical record.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill studied 17 full-term newborns whose mothers had taken an
SSRI during pregnancy and 17 similar infants whose mothers had
not taken one of the drugs, assessing them for more subtle neurobehavioral
differences. They found infants exposed to SSRIs in the womb
were more likely to have had a shorter gestational age, and were
also more likely to suffer from a range of neurobehavioral problems,
including nervousness, startles, and sleep disturbances. After
adjusting the findings for gestational age, differences in nervousness
and sleep disturbances remained significant.
Researchers conclude, "Results of the present study call
into question the conclusion that SSRI use during pregnancy has
little impact on the developing fetus and infant outcome."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical
Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to:
http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, 2004:113:368-375
Internet pharmacies applaud U.S. report Last Updated Fri,
18 Jun 2004 19:15:04 WINNIPEG -CBC INDEPTH: Cross-border
Rx
Canada's internet pharmacies are welcoming a new American report
that they say vindicates their industry. A report by the American
General Accounting Office – the equivalent of Canada's auditor
general – found prescription drugs from Canadian websites
pose fewer risks than medications purchased from online pharmacies
in other countries. In fact, some Canadian internet pharmacies
had stricter standards even than those in the United States,
said David MacKay, director of the Canadian International Pharmacy
Association. MacKay expects the report to soften Washington's
stance. "It should block some of the criticisms coming from
the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration]. It will allow certain
senators who might have been on the bubble to vote for a piece
of legislation that will legalize importation." The safety
of drugs ordered online from Canada has been a major issue as
the American Senate holds hearings to decide whether to legalize
importation.
Washingtonians find Canada the prescription for savings.
By Ross McLaughlin
KIRO 7 EYEWITNESS NEWS
SEATTLE -- Americans spend $120 billion a year on prescription
medications, more per person than consumers anywhere else in
the world. And the cost keeps going up. KIRO-7 Eyewitness News
Consumer Investigator Ross McLaughlin discovered what some Washington
state residents are doing about it.
For Frank and Betty Montgomery, pills are a part of their
daily diet. They take medications for diabetes, blood pressure
and cancer. Last year, the couple spent nearly $6,000 on prescriptions.
That's more than 30 percent of their income.
"It doesn't come cheap," said Frank Montgomery.
"We're living on Social Security, that's all." The
Montgomerys have had to take out a second mortgage on their house
to stay out of the red. And prescription drug prices keep going
up.
"Every time we get them, they go up four dollars more,
eight dollars more for a prescription," said Montgomery.
KIRO-7 went searching for a better price. We found a place
where consumers can save hundreds of dollars.
Take Frank Montgomery's diabetes medication, Glynase, for
example. He's been paying $105 a month. We found it for a fraction
of the price -- about $14, or a difference of more than $90.
Or how about Betty Montgomery's Tamoxifen to help fight breast
cancer? It costs her more than $91, but we found it at just $11
-- an $80 difference.
Where did KIRO-7 find these cheap prices? In Canada.
We persuaded Frank Montgomery to drive from his Bothell home
to a walk-in clinic in Surrey, just across the Canadian border.
The visit
cost just $28, and the Canadian doctor reviewed and phoned in
Montgomery's prescriptions. By the time Montgomery arrived at
the drug store, the prescriptions were ready. When he heard the
total, $121 U.S., he was speechless. His savings? About $547,
or 80 percent. How can this be? The Canadian government limits
the cost of prescription drugs. Drug companies are not allowed
to advertise, and no markup on drugs is allowed at pharmacies.They
make their money by charging a small dispensing fee.
Also, there is a huge generic drug industry in Canada. There
are even generics for drugs like Prozac, which have no generics
in the United States. And some drugs, like Claritin, that require
prescriptions in the United States are sold over the counter
at a much lower cost in Canada.
As word gets around, more and more Washington residents are
making the trip north and cashing in on the savings.
"Boy, now I can afford to buy meat," said Montgomery.
"I'm going to come up here every time my prescriptions need
filling."
There have been no problems in crossing the border, said KIRO-7
reporter McLaughlin. Just make sure you have documentation proving
the medications are for personal use.
A Borderline Case
Excerpt: Report on Business
Friday, April 26, 2002
It's no secret that Americans pay some of the highest medication
prices in the world.
And right next door in Canada, the cost of drugs is partially
controlled, a result of governments negotiating directly with
manufacturers for provincial drug plans. Add in the exchange
rate, and Canadian sourcing looks pretty attractive to American
seniors, of whom as many as 40% in some states don't have insurance
coverage for their prescriptions. "The interest is huge,"
says Peter Wyckoff, of the 25,000-member Minnesota Senior Federation,
based in St. Paul.
For years, the federation organized bus trips to Winnipeg
so its members could get three-month prescriptions filled for
chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis.
Now the wired world saves them the trip. The federation locates
Canadian suppliers, compares prices and even travels to check
out different "exporters," as Wyckoff calls them. Wyckoff
says going on-line saves his members up to 50% on their prescriptions.
For example, $183 (U.S.) buys 90 pills of the popular cholesterol-fighting
drug Lipitor from Canada, while it's $269 if customers buy it
at home.
Here's how it works: U.S. customers peruse the on-line price
list and fax a valid U.S. prescription to the on-line pharmacy.
A Canadian physician reviews and co-signs each U.S. prescription.
If necessary, the Canadian doctor may phone the American counterpart
who wrote the prescription and ask questions. For this service,
Canadian doctors are paid what Strempler calls a "modest
fee," built into the pharmacy's prices.
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