Canadian Rx Service Sets Up Shop in US
By George Anderson
Reuters reports that American senior citizens will soon have access to lower-priced Canadian pharmaceuticals at prescription service offices opening in the US.
By the end of the month, Best Canadian Prescription Service expects to have 20 franchise offices operating in the country.
The franchises are processing centers; not pharmacies. Senior citizens need to provide personal information, a medical history and a prescription. The “prescriptions are rewritten to comply with Canadian laws and filled by licensed pharmacists in that country for shipment to customers in the States.”
Craig M. Burridge, executive director, the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, calls the Canadian services “a catastrophe on all fronts” for US pharmacists.
Mr. Burridge, is concerned that independent pharmacists will not survive the business lost to the Canadian prescription services.
“What they’re doing is exploiting our free-enterprise system,” Burridge says of the Canadian ventures.
Mark Lazar, chairman and chief executive officer, LePharmacy.com, the founder of Best Canadian Prescription Service told Reuters, “Franchise owners can expect 20 to 50 customers a day, on average, with a typical order running from $200 to $300.”
Moderator’s Comment: What are your thoughts on Canadian
prescription services operating in the US?
Congress and the White House need to agree on and pass
a Medicare bill sooner rather than later. Consumers should have access to the
best deals available. US retailers need to compete on a level playing field.
[George
Anderson – Moderator]