EDUCATED DECISION ARE FUNDAMENTAL
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Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)
Fact:
In 2001, the most profitable industry in the United States
was again the pharmaceutical! According to Fortune 500 data,
the top 10 pharmaceutical companies generated $37 BILLION
in revenue in the year 2001. That is up from $28 Billion the
year before -- a 33% increase in just one year! And that while
the overall profits of Fortune 500 companies declined by 53
percent!
Fact:
The top seven pharmaceutical companies took in more in pure
profit (that's profit, not gross sales) than the top seven
auto companies, the top seven oil companies, the top seven
airline companies, and the top seven media companies. Their
return on revenue was eight times higher than the median for
all Fortune 500 industries.
Fact:
For many people, buying prescription
drugs online offers great advantages compared to purchasing
drugs from a local drugstore, including:
- The privacy and convenience
of ordering medications from your home.
- Greater availability of drugs
for shut-in people or those who live far from the pharmacy.
- The best prices through comparative
shopping.
- Greater convenience and variety
of products.
- Easier access to written
product information and references to other sources than
in traditional storefront pharmacies.
Fact:
Prescription drugs play an increasingly important role in
treating both chronic and acute health conditions, yet many
Americans lack insurance coverage for prescription drugs.
Medicare, the government health insurance program for seniors
and the disabled, provides no coverage for prescription drugs.
As a result, one in four seniors has no drug coverage and
many others are underinsured. Roughly one-quarter of non-elderly
Americans also have no drug coverage, a figure somewhat higher
than the share of this population without health insurance.
Fact:
Substitution of generic drugs for their brand-name counterparts
saves consumers an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion yearly
since 1994.
Fact:
For many years, generic drugs have been a key tool for helping
consumers, health insurers, and public payers to reduce their
prescription drug costs. Generic drugs, which accounted for
18.6 percent of U.S. retail prescriptions dispensed in 1984,1
accounted for nearly half of U.S. retail prescriptions in
2001.2 Generic drugs also accounted for nine of the 20 most
widely dispensed drugs in the U.S. in 2001.
SOURCE: Intellectual Property Protection: Finding
the Right
Balance Between Access and Innovation, August
2000; American Health Line. "Politics & Policy-
Pediatric Exclusivity: House Gives Final Approval"
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Who should utilize this site
the most?
- Seniors
- Individuals with limited Rx coverage
- Uninsured individuals and families
- Privacy Conscious insured individuals who want privacy
Q. What is the difference between a
Brand Name and Generic Drug?
A. A pharmaceutical manufacturer markets a Brand Name
drug under a specific trade name. In most cases, brand name
drugs are still under patent protection, meaning the manufacturer
is the sole source for the product. A generic drug is made
with the same active ingredients in the same dosage form as
a brand name drug. The generic drug is therapeutically equivalent
to the brand name drug but is sold under its chemical or "generic"
name.
Q. What does generically equivalent
mean?
A. A generically equivalent drug product is one that has
the same active ingredients, strength, and dosage form as
its brand-name counterpart.
Q. What does therapeutically equivalent
mean?
A. For a drug to be therapeutically equivalent, it must be
chemically the same and also must have the same medical effect.
Q. Are Generic Drugs as Effective as
Brand Name Drugs?
A. A generic drug contains the same active ingredients in
the same dosage form as a brand name drug. The Federal Food
and Drug Administration strictly regulate the strength and
purity of generic medications. The FDA requires all generic
manufacturers to demonstrate that a generic drug will have
the same medical effect as its brand name equivalent by measuring
the rate and extent of drug absorption. The generic drug should
treat your illness or condition with the same effectiveness
and safety as its brand name equivalent. Generics have to
meet the same rigorous FDA requirements as brand name drugs.
Q. Are Generic Drugs as
Safe as Brand Name Drugs?
A. Since 1970, the FDA has approved almost 9,000 generic
drug products as therapeutically equivalent to brand name
products. These generics have been used billions of times
by millions of patients, demonstrating again that brand name
and generic name drug have the same effect in the body.
Q. Are Generic Drugs Less Expensive
than Brand Name Drugs?
A. In most cases, yes. The cost of researching, developing
and marketing a new drug- including the money spent advertising
the product- are factored into the price of the branded drug.
Generic manufacturers spend considerably less on development
and promotion, and therefore can afford to sell their product
for less money. Because generic drugs provide greater value,
they usually require a smaller pharmacy benefit co-payment
than branded products.
Q. Is the More Expensive Brand Name
Drug of a Better Quality?
A. No, the quality is the same. Both have to meet the same
rigorous FDA requirements.
Q. Who Makes Generic Drugs?
A. Some are manufactured by the same pharmaceutical companies
that make brand drugs; others are produced by pharmaceutical
companies specializing in the manufacturing of generics. All
prescription drug manufacturers must meet rigid FDA standards.
Q. What does the drug product selection
law mean to you?
A. Your State has a drug Product Selection Law
that permits Pharmacists to select less costly generic drugs
instead of brand-name products when filling some of your prescriptions.
The purpose of this law is to give you the opportunity to
save money on prescription drugs. Here's how it works. Instead
of a prescribed brand-name drug, your pharmacist frequently
can select a less expensive generic equivalent. However, if
your doctor writes on the prescription form that a specific
brand-name drug is necessary, the prescription must be filled
exactly as written.
Q. How large a supply
of my medications can I buy?
A. You may only order as much as your U.S. Physician
prescribes for you. Additionally, all prescriptions are limited
to a maximum of a ninety-(90) day supply.
Q. Can I send back prescriptions
I quit using?
A. No. Unfortunately, it is not legal to send
prescriptions back. Always make sure you plan to continue
taking a specific medication before you reorder.
Q. How much time should
I give before I reorder my refills?
A. You should always leave a minimum of 4-5
weeks before your refills are due.
Q. What should I do if
I have problems faxing my prescription?
A. Avoid peak hours and fax your prescription
preferably between 8:oo AM and 12:oo Noon PST. We suggest
that you try more than once in any case. If you still cannot
get through, please scan your script and email it to us as
an attachment.
Q. Who will be
charging my card for the purchases on this site.
A. One of the following "bill descriptors" could
appear on your credit card statement in reference to your
purchase from this site:
-
RX-MedsShop-OnLine
is
the main processor.
- A different backup processors might be appearing on your statement
from time to time. Double check the amount and the order
number to cross reference.
Q.
The Shopping cart will not complete
the order?
A. On some browsers the shopping cart program
does malfunction. You may need to delete the cookies and try
again. This can be done by going to your browser, click on
tools , click on internet options. You will then see
“Temporary Internet Files” , delete them, click on apply and
OK. You may then try again.
Q. Authorities
inspecting my order at
the Port of Entry ?
A. We estimate that 1% of all orders are
actually inspected at the port of entry. If for any reason
your order was stopped, we will reship it at no cost to you,
as highlighted in our policies (usually authorities will
notify you by mail or via e-mail). If you did not
receive your order by the end of the 5th week
from the original shipping date, contact us via
e-mail right away
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