PharmaVisa: A Lifeline from the Crushing Weight of Big Pharma Prices

Americans pay some of the highest prices for prescription drugs–anywhere from two to six times more than the rest of the world. Breakthrough advances in medicine have the potential to treat and even cure many life-threatening and/or chronic conditions. Yet for too many patients, they are out of reach.

As a U.S. consumer, you have likely struggled to access or afford a brand name prescription drug that you needed. Like most Americans, you have little visibility into how manufacturers set those prices, and little recourse against them. The reasons for high prices in the U.S. are varied and complex:

• U.S. drug manufacturers set their own prices; there is little negotiation or regulation by government entities or national health programs
• Drug suppliers in the U.S. are highly fragmented between plans, providers and hospitals. Fragmentation lowers purchasing power and results in higher prices for consumers; in contrast, other countries often have a single organization that purchases drugs for the entire country’s supply, giving them greater control over the end-user’s drug cost
• Pharmaceutical companies price products based on what the market will bear, rather than on their R&D or marketing costs
• U.S. patent law promotes long periods of exclusivity for brand name drugs, delaying lower cost generics from coming into the market. This forces patients to reach deeper into their own pockets, as drug prices decline to 55 percent of their original brand name cost once there are two generics on the market
• More targeted therapies have lower volumes, and because profits are absorbed over fewer units, prices for these drugs are usually very high
• The U.S. is the largest market for pharmaceutical drugs; in effect, U.S. drug prices subsidize prescription pharmaceuticals for the rest of the world
• Growth in high deductible health plans has resulted in a greater number of consumers paying the full cost of their prescription drugs until they meet their deductible and their co-insurance (often at 60% or less) kicks in
• Health insurance plans limit access to certain drugs by denying authorization, even after a medication has been prescribed, in order to contain costs. This often places the full burden of the drug’s cost on the patient

But there is no reason American patients need to be shut out of readily available medicines. The truth is:

• The very same drugs that are often unattainable in the U.S. for the sickest patients are available outside the country at significantly lower cost.
• U.S. pharmaceuticals are most often not made in the U.S. 80% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used in prescription drugs sold in U.S. pharmacies are imported, as are 40% of the finished pharmaceutical products.
• These products are made by the same brand manufacturers and are often manufactured in the same place at the same time as the U.S. supply. Foreign prescription drugs can come from FDA-registered plants and be identical to those sold in U.S. pharmacies in every way except their labeling and packaging.
• These drugs are legally manufactured, safe and effective.

Despite this, Americans are going through Herculean efforts to get the medicine they need in the U.S.– running GoFundMe campaigns, taking out second mortgages, and going into massive debt. It is heartbreaking.

But they’re also looking outside of the U.S. Nineteen million Americans—about 8% of the adult population—rely on personal importation from Canadian and other international pharmacies conveniently and affordably to obtain their medicine. Existing online pharmacies, however, do not offer some of the most targeted and costly specialty and orphan drugs for cancer, Hepatitis C, Multiple Sclerosis, epilepsy, and other life-threatening conditions.

That’s why we started PharmaVisa. Americans in need of specialty medications deserve a lifeline from the crushing weight of Big Pharma prices. PharmaVisa’s mission is to help Americans gain the same access and affordability to high quality, medically-essential drugs that other global citizens have. Because no one should be financially blocked from healing or life-saving treatment.

PharmaVisa has spent 20+ years building a network of pharmaceutical manufacturers and suppliers across the globe to access even the most difficult to source specialty medicines at the most economical prices. Unlike other international sources for specialty drugs, we guarantee authenticity and quality, and provide insurance for security. Here’s how we do this:

• We source drugs from countries where drug prices are regulated, in contrast to the U.S. where the manufacturer often sets and controls the retail drug prices.
• We only purchase drugs from manufacturers and distributors authorized by the company who developed them. The drugs are the same brand name drugs as available in the U.S.–sometimes even made in the same plant at the same time—with the primary differences being the language(s) on the labeling and package.
• We assure the product’s authenticity and “chain of custody”; in other words, we can trace the product back to the plant where it was manufactured, where it was distributed, and where it was wholesaled.

We help make the process as easy and transparent as possible. First, we provide a global price check for the drug you need and let you choose where your medication is coming from. Then, we ship your prescription to our office in Nassau, Bahamas. We provide guidance from an experienced pharmacist who can work in partnership with your doctor. You or your family member travel to our Nassau pharmacy at your convenience to pick up your medicine. Travel to Nassau is easy, with many non-stop flights offered daily. The cost of travel is significantly less than the 40-80% cost savings we offer on most drugs. Finally, you or your family representative bring your prescription back to the U.S.

If you or someone you know are struggling to afford the medicine you need, PharmaVisa can help. Contact us today.