Canada Prescriptions Discount – Why Do Drugs Cost So Much More in the USA?

Tuesday, 17 August 2010 14:50 by barbara

A fact that, until the recent health care debate started in the United States, may not have been apparent to some people is that US citizens are paying considerably more for their prescription medications.  Once people learn that they are paying much more for their medicine than what their neighbours to the north are paying, they usually start trying to find ways to obtain these cheaper discount Canada prescriptions for themselves.  So what are the main reasons why US citizens can find discount Canada prescriptions for a much cheaper price than what they would otherwise pay in the United States?

 

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why you can find discount Canada prescriptions for a much cheaper cost than the prices you will end up paying in the US has to do with government regulations.  In Canada, the government has regulations in place that place a cap on how much money drug companies can charge for their medications.  While the US government has tried to do the same thing at various times, nothing has ever been able to pass through the system to make it into the law books.  The United States Congress has tried everything from trying to allow drugs to be re-imported from Canada pharmacies, as well as trying to make drug companies have a flat rate for all their medicines across North America.

 

Another reason for the higher price tag on drugs in the US compared to the discount Canada prescriptions you can buy has to do with marketing costs.  Drug companies spend a considerable greater amount of money on marketing their medications in the United States than they do in Canada, which allows for much cheaper discount Canada prescriptions.  In addition to the higher marketing costs in the US, the drug companies can also tack on their costs for research and development.  By doing this, they end up making a healthy profit in the US, while simply breaking even by selling discount Canada prescriptions in that country.

 One factor that causes drug prices to climb higher in the US that a lot of people don’t talk about or seem to forget is the difference in income between US and Canadian citizens.  This fact also plays a big role in why you can discount Canada prescriptions for a much cheaper price as well.  Drug companies use this to their advantage, as they know that US citizens, on average, make more money so they know that they can get away with charging them more for their medications.