Drug linked to adherence, but prices still climbing, says DoctorSolve
Canadian pharmacies like DoctorSolve (http://www.doctorsolve.com) are often still the best alternative for the elderly and uninsured
Canton, OH (PRWEB) July 22, 2004 -- Providing prescriptions at lower prices promotes better health and curbs overall healthcare expenses. But despite efforts to cut costs, Canadian drugs are often still the least expensive option for the elderly and uninsured.
According to DoctorSolve Canadian Pharmacys (http://www.doctorsolve.com) co-founder Paul Zickler, M.D., nearly one-third of Americans 60 years or older do not take their medications as prescribed.
Prescription drug cost is a critical element of adherence," says Zickler. Senator McCains bill and Pfizers new discount program are steps in the right direction. However, Canadian drugs are often still the best option for getting necessary medications to the elderly and uninsured."
Zickler cites a study in Medical Care (July 2004) that correlates higher out-of-pocket drug costs to an increase in patients that skip or reduce doses, or fail to fill prescriptions. The study indicates that those patients are 76 percent more likely to experience an overall major health decline" than those who followed doctors orders. Treating these patients is more expensive than it wouldve been to provide them with proper preventative medication.
Yet, according to a recent study from AARP, drug prices are increasing - especially for the elderly. Between December 2003 and June 2004, when the new Medicare cards were released, prices for the top 200 drugs used by seniors outpaced inflation by 2.2 percent.
One solution, McCains bill supporting Canadian drug importation, is in the proposal stages. Another, Pfizers prescription discount plan, reduces drug costs for uninsured families with annual incomes of less than $45,000, but doesnt help enough: Canadian drugs are often still cheaper.
Under the Pfizer plan, Zoloft (100 milligrams) is $175 for three months. DoctorSolve offers it for $109.
Even with these new plans, savings may not be significant," says Zickler. Its important for the consumer to examine all alternatives."
DoctorSolve is an Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC Q37) that offers lower-cost, long-term prescriptions. All prescriptions are filled by a professionally registered pharmacist. DoctorSolve is a certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association and ranked by PharmacyChecker.com as one of the best (five-star) online pharmacies. DoctorSolve has filled more than 156,000 prescriptions in the U. S.
For more information, call 1-866-732-0305 or visit http://www.doctorsolve.com
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