Washington, D.C. - A new price comparison of the most sought-after brand-name prescription drugs reveals that average U.S. coupon prices at leading pharmacies are four times or 400% more than Canadian prices. Regular Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation (CPPI) analysis reveals 50% to 90% cheaper prices at licensed Canadian pharmacies compared to U.S. pharmacy competitors including AmazonPharmacy, CVS, GoodRx, and Walgreens.
According to a poll released this year by YouGov America, 37 percent or 123 million Americans have skipped filling a prescription due to costs.
“Americans can’t afford to be paying 400% more for their prescription drugs than our neighbors in Canada when access to critical daily medications can literally mean life or death for so many.” says Jack Pfeiffer, Executive Director of CPPI. “Thousands of Americans use licensed Canadian pharmacies to purchase their daily prescription medications at affordable prices. We believe that all Americans have a right to affordable medications.”
HOW TO SAVE ON Rx SAFELY Purchasing prescription medications for importation from licensed and certified online Canadian pharmacies is safe and easy. Annually, Americans receive over 1 million prescriptions from online Canadian pharmacies. For decades, FDA guidance has helped people safely import medications. Online pharmacies recommended by CPPI like those certified by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) report a 100% perfect safety record while serving millions of American customers since 2002.
SAVINGS New CPPI 2023 survey data shows that Americans importing prescription drugs save an average of $410 a month ($4,920 a year) on medication from licensed Canadian pharmacies. 95% of respondents cited the high cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. as the primary reason for ordering from licensed online Canadian pharmacies. For years, CPPI tracking has shown that Canadian drug prices offer savings on leading name-brand prescription drugs of over 50%.
COMPARISON METHODOLOGY & NOTES
This comparison reflects prices for 30-day supplies of top-selling brand-name medications using the most common strengths prescribed to patients. Prices recorded as of October 1, 2023. Pricing and discounts do fluctuate day by day. The recorded percentages reflect savings offered by certified online Canadian pharmacies over the lowest U.S. discount price, be those from Amazon Prime or a traditional U.S. pharmacy as reported by GoodRx. All prices are in U.S. dollars. This comparison reflects prices without insurance.
Canadian mail-order prescription pricing is calculated using the average price of pharmacies certified by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA). Canadian product pricing is for Health Canada-approved brand-name products, dispensed by a pharmacy licensed in Canada. Over 70 websites have CIPA certification, prices vary. Certified online pharmacies do not sell controlled substances, narcotics, pseudoephedrine products, or highly temperature-sensitive products including Botox, Insulin, Victoza, Saxenda.
Prices for U.S. pharmacies were compared through GoodRx and Amazon Pharmacy and the lowest discount/coupon prices are reflected in the U.S./GoodRx column. GoodRx gathers current prices, coupons, and discounts from leading traditional pharmacy operators including CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Costco, Safeway, Albertsons, Publix and other pharmacies.
# # #
About the Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation
The Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation (CPPI) is a national nonprofit patient advocacy organization that fights for Americans’ access to safe, affordable prescription medications from Canada for personal use. Tens of millions of Americans – especially the elderly and others on fixed incomes – struggle to pay the extremely high price of prescription medications in the U.S. We are here to be their voice.