What drugstore to choose not to buy a fake drug? Where to find cheaper drugs? These questions are not idle, even if you do not speak about serious chronic diseases. According to «Synovate Comcon» analytical agency data, an average family of three people has spent in 2012 not less than 200 $ for drugs. At the same time 50% of respondents purchased medicines at pharmacies, which are located next to their house or place of work. 30% bought products in their favorite pharmacies, while 20% chose from several pharmacies and bought drugs in those where they were cheaper.
How to Choose a Pharmacy
Is there a fundamental difference between network and economy class pharmacies? It all depends on how quality management system is organized in a pharmacy. All processes must be formalized, there should be appointed people responsible for products reception and storage, as well as quality representative, who regularly monitors Medicare information about defective drugs, etc. If all these conditions are observed, then medicines quality in such pharmacy will meet standards. Unfortunately, customers find it difficult to understand all these things. It is important to understand how to store drugs. The larger pharmacy network is, the better it manages corporate demands for products quality, but they also have more marketing issues. When it comes to discounters pharmacies, more questions arise about personnel qualification, compliance with rules of storage. In general, the risk to buy fake or expired medication in large pharmacy network is lower, but you should not count on individual approach, they won’t discuss anything with you and won’t call you when your drug arrives.
Independent experts believe that possibility to buy the fake drug in a large network pharmacy is lower, although it is not an important thing. First of all, it is necessary to pay attention to pharmacy appearance, if it is a basement room with peeling paint, then going there is just not worth it. In addition, it should be remembered – storage conditions of drugs are always shown on the packaging, and if the drug should be stored in a refrigerator, but it was brought out of an ordinary cupboard, it means that this drug is spoiled. In this case, it is possible and necessary to write a complaint in Complaint Book, contact Medicare about this matter. Especially that pharmacies are criminally responsible for counterfeit products sale and, in most cases, are interested in the quality of products.
Canadian Pharmacy is one of the most reliable drugstore that is proved not to sell counterfeit products. All medications and devices are subjects to rigid quality control and have necessary medications and certificates. We are licensed online pharmacy which has a wide range of high-quality products and provides user-friendly service.
Pricing Policy
Prices for drugs from List of vital and essential medicines are slightly different, this is regulated by the state. Business «take out» on those medicines that are not included in this list, so before buying ask about a price for medicament in different pharmacies. However, too low price should alert the buyer. If in all other pharmacies the drug costs 6$ and one pharmacy – 2$, you should wonder why is there such a difference in price. However, it is often difficult for a consumer to understand the process of prices formation. Low price can be attributed, for example, to the fact that shelf life period of the drug will soon be over, or company price policy regarding the drug. The pharmacy must notify buyer if product’s shelf life is less than 70% of permissible. If there are doubts, you can call pharmacy help desk or Medicare, ask if there are any complaints about series printed on the package, as well as address question to the producer, perhaps they do not know about this series and it is counterfeit.
Canadian Health Care Mall drugs are of good quality but unlike any other pharmacy prices for our medications are reasonable and affordable. We cooperate directly with manufacturers without involving any third parties, which explains the considerably lower price. Besides in product list of Canadian Pharmacy Mall, there are generic drugs along with originals. Generics are the same in quality and effectiveness but cheaper in price.
«Giants and Dwarfs»
In a single pharmacy, medications can be expensive. Small companies often have problems with wholesalers that require purchase not less than a certain amount. Price discounts are also dependent on the amount, so the difference in price for medicine at procurement can be up to 20%. Typically, single pharmacy does not provide a great discount. And loyal to little pharmacies wholesaler just may have problems with the quality of drugs – pharmacy can obtain orders disruption, damaged secondary packaging, etc. Such a wholesaler does not keep track of Medicare information about defective batches removal. Sometimes small pharmacies receive goods for realization for 2 – 3 weeks, and for this reason wholesale puts price 25 – 30% higher. That’s why it turns out that price markup at sale is by the law the same for all pharmacies, but prices are different. Meanwhile, single pharmacies often offer discounts for socially sensitive groups: families with many children, retirees, weekend special offers.
It should be mentioned that large pharmacy assortment will be wider: 10 – 11 thousand of drugs and medical equipment names, and in small pharmacy, not to mention booth – only 1 – 1,5 thousand. Most likely, no rare drugs and analogues in the small drugstore are to be found.
Regular and Online Pharmacies
To protect against counterfeit or defective medicines it is better not to buy drugs in mobile pharmacy booths. Experts advise buying drugs in the same familiar and proven pharmacy.
Many products can be purchased at the online store with home delivery, but it is not applicable to a drug (the law forbids). Exceptions are a regular pharmacy, which has a website with online ordering function. A man only reserves a particular drug, but pays for it and takes it in a regular pharmacy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that buying medicines on the Internet is the most dangerous. According to WHO, counterfeit drugs count for about 10% of global medicines market, and in Internet pharmacies, this number of counterfeit drugs may reach 50%. In Southeast Asia factories producing counterfeit drugs for sale on the Internet are annually closed in thousands. Naturally, the absence of payment for rent and shopping capacities maintenance contributes to the low price for medicines. In addition, internet-trade is more difficult to control than offline.
Using Canadian Healthcare Mall services you can be sure that you will not purchase fake or counterfeit drugs. We can provide all certificates and documents copies to you at your request. We understand that many online pharmacies operate illegally and try to make a profit at customers expense without thinking about their health and well-being. We can assure you that no such thing will happen if you choose to buy medicines at Canadian Pharmacy Mall – here about us more information.
«Medicare» Yourself
Here are a few ways that can help to identify fake or counterfeit drugs:
- See if the selected pharmacy has stood with «Information for Consumer», there must be numbers of defective batches.
- Examine packaging, its integrity should not be compromised. Each package has a barcode, and inside there is instruction for use. Counterfeit medicines often are obvious due to printing quality. The text should be well readable, there should be no spelling mistakes.
- Ask for a certificate for the drug. Date of issue, expiration date and series number must be the same on packaging, blister or bottle and in the certificate.
If you have any doubts in medicine quality, you can and should ask a pharmacist to give you a special device (it looks like a pistol with peephole), with which you can properly examine packaging and holograms.
Today, the percentage of defects on our pharmaceutical market is high: if Medicare checks up to 10% medicines and finds 1% of defects, it means that on the market the total number of defective medicines is 10%. According to what criteria Medicare detects defective medicines?
Pharmacies have requirements of State Pharmacopoeia, they state, how medicine should look like and what it should consist of. Among indicators of quality there are:
- appearance;
- color;
- smell;
- transparency;
- uniformity of powders, ointments, suppositories.
Defective drugs are deviations from a recipe in weight, volume, concentration, a discrepancy in pH, density, sterility, pyrogenicity, microbiological purity. For sterile drugs, it is important that there was no damages. During drugs examination measuring equipment of the same type as those in their manufacture are used. The consumer cannot determine all of this by eye, but something – impurities, heterogeneity, changes in color, smell – he still can notice.