- Q.
Do I need a prescription?
A. Yes. Before placing an order, you must have
a valid prescription issued by a physician licensed to practice
medicine in the United States.
Q. What other information do I
need to provide?
A. If this is your
first prescription order with Canadian Pharmacy Link,
you will also need to complete and sign the Patient
Questionnaire and Customer Agreement Form. As stated
in the instructions for “How to Order”, this information can
either be faxed using our toll-free fax number or it
can be mailed to us.
Q. What guidelines does Canadian Pharmacy Link and its affiliated Canadian pharmacy follow in filling
prescriptions?
A. Once your prescription
from your U.S. doctor and your completed questionnaire
have been received by our affiliated Canadian pharmacy, a
Canadian doctor will review your medical history and approve
your prescription under his/her Canadian license.
Your prescription will be filled as written. The name and
strength as written on the prescription will be dispensed.
However, our affiliated Canadian pharmacy will substitute
U.S. approved generic drugs for brand name drugs when
available unless your U.S. physician indicates on the
prescription that no substitutions are allowed, OR
unless you indicate to us that you do not want substitutions
made. NOTE: Canadian Pharmacy Link and its affiliated
Canadian pharmacy will NOT fill prescriptions for narcotics
or other controlled substances such as benzodiazephines.
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. (Please note: It is permissible to issue 100 tab/capsule
quantities under this restriction.)
Q. What is Canadian Pharmacy Link
privacy policy regarding my personal information?
A. Canadian Pharmacy Link and its affiliated
Canadian pharmacy maintain the highest professional standards
regarding the confidentiality of customer information. Canadian
Pharmacy Link and its affiliated Canadian pharmacy
will not release or otherwise share any prescription, personal
medical or financial information with anyone or any entity,
other than the reviewing Canadian physician, the customer
to whom the information pertains or the U.S. physician who
prescribed the medications ordered, without the express written
consent of the customer. Additionally, Canadian Pharmacy Link and its affiliated Canadian pharmacy will not sell, lease,
rent or otherwise make available mailing lists or other customer-based
consumer information to any other person or business entity.
For additional information, please review our complete Privacy Policy.
Q. Are there certain drugs that
I cannot buy through Canadian Pharmacy Link?
A. Canadian Pharmacy Link and its affiliated
Canadian pharmacy will not fill prescriptions for narcotics
or other controlled substances such as benzodiazephines and
will not fill prescriptions where either the drug or a different
brand name of the same drug is not available in the U.S.
Q. How do I pay?
A. Canadian Pharmacy Link makes it easy to
pay for your prescription drugs. We accept MasterCard and Visa. We DO NOT accept Personal Checks or Postal Money Orders.
The charge will appear on your
credit card billing statement as being from "Canadian Pharmacy Link" or from one of our affiliated licensed Canadian Pharmacies that have filled your particular order.
All charges are in U.S. dollars.
Q. How are initial orders different
from refill orders?
A. The Canadian Pharmacy Link
will call you approximately 3 to 4 weeks before your refill
date to confirm that you want your prescription refilled and
to ask whether there have been any changes. It is not
necessary to submit any forms to receive your refills.
However, if you are adding a new prescription, you will need
to fax the new prescription(s) to Canadian Pharmacy Link.
No other information is needed unless there
has been a change in your address, health, in the strengths
or quantities of the medications you’re taking, or in the
method of payment (in which case this information must also
be provided).
Once a prescription has expired, it will be necessary to provide
a copy of the new prescription issued by your U.S. doctor.
As in the case of your initial order, a Canadian physician
will then review and approve your prescription under his or
her Canadian license.
Q. Are the drugs I will receive
the same quality as the drugs that I buy in the U.S.?
A. Just as the United States, Canada is a “first world”
country and has exceptionally high standards along with a
rigorous approval system and strict manufacturing requirements
for pharmaceuticals. Many of the drugs sold in Canada are
exactly the same as those sold in the United States. Other
drugs are manufactured in Canada and are the version sold
in Canada. Some drugs may have a different name or look different
than the one you are familiar with in the U.S. As one example,
in Canada, the U.S. drug “Prilosec” is called “Losec” and
is a pill rather than a capsule, even though it is in fact
the same drug and is made by the same manufacturer. Canadian
Pharmacy Link and its affiliated Canadian pharmacy
will not send you any drug that does not have an approved
version in the United States.
Q. Are all American drugs available?
A. For different reasons, not all drugs available in
the United States are available in Canada.
Q. Why can I buy certain generic
drugs from Canada that are not available in the U.S.?
A. Because of differences in the patent laws between
the U.S. and Canada, generic versions of certain U.S. brand
name drugs are produced in Canada that are not available in
the U.S.
Q. Who makes Canadian generic drugs
and are they safe?
A. The generic
drugs produced in Canada are subject to the same strict approval
and regulation as brand name drugs – and are used by millions
of Canadian citizens on a daily basis. The manufacturers of
these generic drugs are large and well-respected companies.
They include Apotex, Novopharm and Genpharm.
Q. Can I transfer a prescription
from a local pharmacy in the U.S.?
A. Since all prescriptions submitted to the Canadian
pharmacy must initially be reviewed by a licensed Canadian
physician, along with the completed Patient Questionnaire,
transfers of prescriptions from U.S. pharmacies are not possible.
Q. How are my drugs shipped and
how long does it take to receive them?
A.
Your prescription order is shipped by a combination of Canada
Post express mail and U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail. Initial
orders should be received within 21 days. Refill orders should
be received within 21 days.
Q.What is Canadian Pharmacy Link's
return policy?
A. Just as
in the United States, Canadian pharmacies are prohibited from
using returned drugs. The applicable rule reads as follows:
The Pharmacist shall not accept the return for use or re-use
of any portion of any drug or non-prescription medication
(British Columbia College of Pharmacists Standard 5.1 (m) Standards
of Practice - The Pharmacist, Jan. 1, 1996) However,
if an error by the pharmacy results in a customer receiving
drugs that should not have been shipped, a credit or refund
will be issued.
Q. Why can Canadian Pharmacy Link only write a prescription for a maximum of 3 months?
A. Due to regulations put into place by the FDA, American citizens are only allowed to import a maximum of 3 months worth of medication for personal use. Any amount above this 3 month limit is not considered "personal use".
Q. What is the difference between a brand name drug and a Generic drug?
A. A generic drug is a medication for which the original manufacturer has lost patent protection. Because of this, other manufacturers are allowed to produce and sell the exact medication at a lower more competitive price. The generic drug is the exact same medication as the original brand name drug, simply made by another company. Due to strict regulations on the generic drug industry, these drugs must provide the same therapeutic effect as the brand name drug.
Q.
Can you fill prescriptions from American doctors?
A. Yes we can, once a Canadian doctor has reviewed and approved your prescription under his/her Canadian license.
Q. Can I buy Valium, Tylenol #3 or similar medications from your pharmacy?
A. We legally cannot ship any narcotic or controlled substance across the border. We also will not sell any habit forming medications.
Q. Will you accept my insurance?
A. Unfortunately no. We are located in Canada and because of this we cannot accept any foreign insurance. We will provide you with a proper receipt for insurance purposes. Your insurance company may or may not accept our receipts.
Q.
Is there a limit on how much I can buy?
A.
You are limited to a 3 months supply at a time
and a prescription is valid for 1 year from the date
prescription is written.
Q. Are all drugs less expensive in Canada?
A.
No. The majority are less expensive, but there are exceptions.
Q.
How does the quality of Canadian medications compare to American medications?
A. The Canadian government has very strict requirements for the manufacturing of medication in Canada. These requirements are very similar to the requirements in the US. Some of the the drugs sold in Canada are actually manufactured in the US and repackaged for sale in Canada. Generic medications are all manufactured in Canada under Canada's stringent requirements.
Q. Why do some drugs have different names in Canada?
A. These are trade or brand names registered by the manufacturer. In different countries manufacturers will often use different trade names. The medications have the same active ingredients, but may look different and have a different trade name. (For example Prilosec (U.S.) and Losec (Canada), or Augmentin (U.S.) and Clavulin (Canada)).
Q. Why are your prescription prices so low?
A. The first reason is the cheap Canadian dollar --$100 U.S. buys roughly $157 in Canadian goods. The second reason is price controls. The Canadian government limits how much pharmaceutical manufacturers can charge for brand-name drugs when they are approved and caps subsequent price increases. As well, in Canada generics become available 5 years earlier.
Q. How long will it take to process my new order and ship my drugs?
A. Your order may take 21 Business Days for processing and shipping provided that there are no problems with your order (i.e. missing information, credit card processing difficulties). In addition, the postal system is currently experiencing delays in the western and south-western areas of the U.S. owing to mail volumes at customs facilities in those areas. The affected states are as follows:
- Washington
- Indiana
- Oregon
- Nevada
- California
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Utah
- Wyoming
- Colorado
- Montana
- Florida
Even though this state is in the east, it has been added to the list because the U.S. Customs inspection regime has been increased here as well.
As a result delivery times may exceed our maximum 21-day delivery time expectation. As a result, our 21-day re-ship policy will not be in effect for these affected areas. If you live in one of these affected areas, please plan your prescription order lead times to compensate for the possibility of a delivery delay.
Q. What happens if my shipment never arrives?
A. If a shipment does not arrive within 21 days, Canadian Pharmacy Link will either fully refund a customers payment or will reship the order. You (the customer) will be offered a choice of either of the two options.
Q. Does Canadian Pharmacy Link meet all of the legal requirements in place in order to ship drugs to the United States?
A. Yes. Canadian Pharmacy Link presently meets all known requirements in place in Canada and the United States to be able to ship prescription drugs into the United States.
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