Though ordering prescriptions drugs from Canada is controversial and not approved by the FDA, it can save you up to 80 percent of U.S. costs. According to a recent article in Woman's Day, some U.S. state governors are leading the way to change policy both by ordering drugs from Canada for their state programs and by investigating safety issues and how citizens can order medication. Pressured by the governors, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services recently formed a task force to study importing drugs. William Hubbard, associate commissioner for policy and planning at the FDA, says that while it's against the law to import prescription drugs, it is often done and "we have never prosecuted an individual patient for getting medicine for herself." However, he says, "the FDA worries because we can't vouch for drugs sent from countries where we have no jurisdiction." (The same is true of medicine bought in person on trips to Canada and Mexico.) Hubbard adds that, although medications from Canada may be more reliable than those from Third World countries, any mail-ordered drug could be counterfeit, even if the medicine and the package look the same as U.S.-purchased medicines. "It's not a matter of taking a pill and dying," Hubbard says. The problem is more likely to be that a counterfeit pill isn't as strong as it should be, "so your blood pressure goes down 10 percent and not 40 percent." If you're in financial difficulties and ordering from Canada means you get medicine you'd otherwise do without, "taking a gamble might seem like a good idea," Hubbard says. "But it's still a gamble." In an effort to ensure that people in the United States who want to buy medication in Canada use reputable pharmacies, Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty has set up a web site to let citizens order directly from Canada. Governor Craig Benson of New Hampshire had his state's Department of Health and Human Services check out one big Canadian drug entity, which they deemed safe. (To see the report, log on to www.state.nh.us/governor.)
Below is a collection of the Canadian Pharmacies that have been deemed safe for ordering prescription drugs. This list will be added to as reputable pharmacies become known
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