By the end of 2012, there are 10 blockbuster drugs that will no longer be protected by a patent. Despite the fact that 66% of prescribers surveyed report that they have experienced a failure on a generic equivalent where the branded drug was successful, prescribers are still making the switch to generics when they become available. 94% of prescribers surveyed also reported that patients have indicated that a generic equivalent did not work as well as the branded product they were previously taking.In most cases, pharmacies are likely to dispense the generic unless the pharmacist sees a Dispense as Written order on the prescription. Only 4% of prescribers surveyed indicated that they always or very often include the order.

Due to patent expirations, Big Pharma stands to lose over $ 100B by the year 2013. Industry analysts project that Pharma companies will likely introduce new formulations of brand name drugs or seek FDA approval for new indications to offset the loss of dollars and total scripts written for those drugs now offered as generics.

RX Rights members are committed to protecting and promoting Americans’ rights to safe, affordable prescription medication. The coalition includes numerous seniors’ action groups, a number of pharmacy accreditation organizations such as PharmacyChecker, and numerous individual concerned citizens and organizations.

Seniors groups are active in RX Rights for many reasons, not the least of which is that life saving prescription medications are often priced out of the reach of seniors. An estimated 25 million Americans had to go without their prescription medication in 2009 because of high drug costs.

Rx Rights maintains that access to safe, affordable medications from licensed and regulated pharmacies outside of the US reduces the cost of prescription drugs and preserves and improves the health of Americans of all ages, including the 50 million citizens without any medical insurance.

RX Rights also works to increase awareness in both the public and elected officials around some of the complex issues surrounding prescription drug sales in the US, including the implications of the Protect Intellectual Property Act S.968, currently making its way through the legislative process.

While the bill would make it easier to crack down on unlicensed “rogue pharmacies” selling questionable meds using questionable methods, it also targets legitimate non US online pharmacies selling genuine low cost prescriptions, such as Canadian pharmacies. Section 5 of the Act excludes any online pharmacy that carries medications not manufactured in an FDA approved facility from selling them to Americans.

The legislation even goes so far as to censor internet access to Canadian pharmacies, requiring that internet service providers and search engines block them, and even that credit cards company not process payments to them.

A discussion forum post on RxRights worries about the bill’s potential impact on American consumers, stating that the legislation could mean “the removal of their lifeline to safe and affordable medication.”

Canadian pharmacies have long been popular in communities near the Canadian border, with local seniors’ groups bussing dozens of people across the line at a time, prescriptions in hand, to save at Canadian drug stores. Growing internet access to legitimate pharmacies has enabled individual consumers to purchase their drugs from Canada online as needed, reducing the need for Canadian pharmacy tour buses, but increasing the awareness of and demand for drugs from Canada.

Legitimate Canadian pharmacies such as online pharmacy Big Mountain Drugs support the work being done by Rx Rights. “We encourage our customers to visit the RxRights website to educate themselves on the issues,” says Big Mountain Drugs Media Relations Coordinator Lynn Woods, “And then to voice their concerns to their elected representative.”

To use Zip-Price, customers simply enter their 5 digit location ZIP code and any medication for which they have a legal prescription. No account is needed to begin the search. Andy Keesler, a member of the Zip-Price development team says “Unlike other pricing solutions, we modeled Zip-Price after the type of process that pharmacy insiders would follow if they had to look for a discount price for themselves. A key insight was that using a single approach rarely produces great results so we designed our system for each request to automatically trigger multiple methods of price search.” From the customer’s single request, the system first scours databases of discount programs at area pharmacies to see if the medication is steeply discounted anywhere. Bayo Adeniyi, a member of the customer and provider insights team explains “These lists are different from one another and are always changing. Wal-Mart pioneered the extremely successful $ 4 generic program but many people don’t realize that, depending on the medications they take, another pharmacy might have a superior program. In one 5 mile radius in Dallas, TX for example, the market rate for 30 tablets of a long term cholesterol medication like Simvastatin 20mg (generic for Zocor) is $ 16.84 at Wal-Mart, $ 37.99 at CVS, and $ 59.99 at Walgreens. Savon pharmacy in the same 5 mile radius offers the exact same medication for $ 4.99 if purchased via their $ 10 lifetime Rxtra savings program and Walgreens’ price just recently dropped to $ 12.99 if the customer uses their $ 20 per annum prescription savings club discount program. With the continuous changes in these lists and because of the many companies that now offer one, keeping up with current best pricing on any medication can be an ordeal. By using ZipcodeMeds, customers will find the best prices available on these programs within 10 seconds.”

If the system does not find a price in the discount program search, it automatically routes the request to the secondary deals pathway where it searches for short-term deals or any listed prices from local pharmacies that stand out for being a significantly good deal. Keesler continues “To ensure that customers have a very high chance of finding a deal, the system automatically routes unsatisfactory pricing results to our unique Zip-Bid pathway. With one-click the customer can generate a personalized on-demand price bid request that instantly pops up on the screen at multiple local pharmacies. Pharmacies evaluate the request quickly and respond with an exact quote that expires by a set time. Customers can select the best bid and lock-in the price online. It’s simple for the customer and convenient for the pharmacy.”

ZipcodeMeds recommends the use of manufacturer coupons when available as this could potentially mean getting an expensive medication for free. “Our work on pricing includes a process to inform customers when coupons may be available either from their physician, direct from the manufacturer or online. We also encourage customers to keep using whatever discount card or other non-insurance program that they already use but to never assume that they are paying the lowest price until they compare to the comprehensive results they get on ZipcodeMeds” said an analyst on the team. “The so-called discount cards can be misleading. Many discount cards offer a price of about $ 19 on 30 tablets of the generic for Bactrim DS (a commonly prescribed antibiotic) when the same drug is only about $ 4 at many pharmacies that we feature on our website. Even on drugstore, a reputable online pharmacy, the lowest price available for 30 tablets of generic Bactrim DS (as of June 2011) is about $ 19. Using a discount card or online pharmacy in this scenario means you spend almost 400% more but get the false impression that you got a great deal. Spending a few seconds on our site is like putting in hours of quality work verifying that you’re paying a competitive price. What you do after that is up to you but it should be pretty easy to make a smart decision afterwards because numbers simply do not lie.”

Some services are now available nationwide while others will be introduced to a number of cities over the summer of 2011. Potential customers can help determine the order of the first ten (10) cities to be added by trying out the service and entering a ZIP code to search.

As part of the planned global investment, services will include Oracle Argus Safety scoping/strategy, implementation, upgrades, migrations and post implementation support. The Noida office will also support November Research’s streamlined data capture system, PRIMO, and will also allow for full global support for their clients.

November Research will also continue to enhance their services and support around the world, including client expansion in Japan, Europe and the US in 2012.

November Research Group is a professional services firm that provides a complete spectrum of software and services to the pharmacovigilance departments in the biopharmaceutical industry, with extensive expertise in: implementation and support for the Oracle Argus Safety Suite, Oracle AERS, and other commercial adverse event reporting systems; requirements specification and system selection; custom software application and tool development, and software validation. In addition, November Research Group provides the PRIMO application for companies to enable a streamlined and rapid data intake for adverse event cases from all sources.

That’s a good thing because the NorthWestPharmacy survey of Americans buying Canada’s drugs showed that 88% of patients who reported they did not take the proper dosage of their medicines due to the high cost did comply with doctors orders once they began purchasing through NorthWestPharmacy because of the cost savings. These patients reported an average savings of 64% off their total uninsured U.S. drug expenditures by purchasing instead through the online Canadian pharmacy and international drug portal.

“The World Health Organization reports that only about 50% of patients in developed countries follow their doctors’ advice when it comes to prescribed drug therapies,” says Aman Bhangu, a pharmacist licensed in Washington State who is now the Pharmacy Manager at NorthWestPharmacy’s Canadian pharmacy. Well-acquainted with the high cost of drugs in the USA based on his years of experience as a manager at big chain drugstores in the Seattle area, Mr. Bhangu says, ” it was frustrating to see so many patients I cared for split their pills, skip refills or have to forgo prescribed treatments altogether. Carefully selecting a reputable source of drugs from Canada and elsewhere is a great option.”

NorthWestPharmacy offers Canadian prescription drugs online as well as international medicines. Safety, affordability, convenience and a seven day per week patient-centered service are the key values. But patients are cautioned to avoid the myriad of unscrupulous websites offering online prescriptions without any genuine accreditation and without requiring a prescription from the patient’s own doctor. Many people have become the victims of credit card scams and counterfeit Canadian drugs schemes. NorthWestPharmacy is recognized for achieving some of the highest standards in Canadian online pharmacy practice, including certifications from the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, the International Pharmacy Association of British Columbia, TRUSTe, buySAFE and Pharmacy Checker.

According to RxRights, a coalition of concerned American organizations, Americans pay double for prescriptions compared to people in other industrialized nations. As a result RxRights campaigns on behalf of American citizens and the inveterate challenges they face when attempting to access affordable medicines from international sources such as Candrugstore. RxRights states that pharmaceutical companies have “gone to great lengths to protect the high prices of their products in America.”

Meanwhile, in an effort to protect American citizens from bogus drug sites, Congress and the White House are pushing forward with the PROTECT IP Act, essentially a revised version of the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA). The PROTECT IP Act could effectively lead to a block of access to various pharmacy websites, because according to RxRights the act “contains specific language that targets all non-U.S. based online pharmacies – classifying them as a risk to public health.”

Though the bill is focused on stopping the counterfeit pharmaceutical trade, many experts and even politicians such as Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore) caution about possible collateral damage that would affect legal online pharmacies and Americans’ access to affordable medications. In a release on his website, Sen. Wyden criticizes the bill as an “overreaching approach to policing the Internet” that poses “ a significant threat to the Internet as we know it.” He condemned the COICA because it risks “collateral damage on the foundations of the internet” while “(trampling) free speech, (stifling) innovations and (giving license to foreign regimes to further censor the Internet for political and commercial purposes.” His stance toward the PROTECT IP Act seems similar and in a release on his website Senator Wyden has exercised his senate right to put a hold on the legislation because he feels “the costs of the legislation far outweighed the benefits.”

Furthermore, in a statement on RxRights “the Intellectual Property Czar Victoria Espinel, announced the government’s plans to completely shut down online pharmacy sites as an extension of the proposed COICA” and that the government has “enlisted companies like Google, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Network Solutions to assist with its rampant censorship campaign” to block even certified Canadian pharmacies. And while we support the Obama administration’s attempts to protect Americans from fraudulent pharmacies, CanDrugStore also recognizes the need for a “balance to be met to ensure patients’ access to safe and affordable drugs from Canadian and other international sources that are certified and dispense legitimate pharmaceuticals.”

Through CanDrugStore, American citizens are encouraged to join the fight to protect their access to affordable medications. By visiting RxRights and clicking on the “Protect Access” link, Americans can take the next step toward protecting their rights. Through a letter drafted by the RxRights coalition, patients who rely on Canadian and international pharmacies for life saving medication can contact their local senator and house representative and support the fight for prescription rights. RxRights warns that “Americans are in imminent danger of losing (their) ability to order prescriptions from safe, licensed Canadian and international pharmacies” through “misguided efforts by Congress and officials in the White House.”

RxRights and CanDrugStore hope that by encouraging Americans to sign this letter and send it to their members of Congress and the White House, American citizens will “tell (their) elected officials in Washington to protect access to affordable medications.”

People who used the Medicare.gov Plan Finder last year will be pleased to find that the preliminary entry screens are now more streamlined and the drug list they saved from last year’s session is still available if they have access to their Drug List ID and Password Date. People searching for medications will also find more flexibility when switching their search between brand-name and generic-equivalent drugs. Consistent with past Plan Finder versions, the most common medication strength and 30-day quantity are set as the default dosage for ease of data entry.

The pharmacy selection step (or Plan Finder Step 3 of 4) should not be overlooked this year as more Medicare Part D plans are working with preferred-network pharmacies that offer slightly lower drug prices as compared to the plan’s regular network pharmacies. If pharmacies are not selected in this step, Medicare beneficiaries may notice that in 2012 they are paying unexpected prices for their medications.

Once into the plan results, users of the Medicare Plan Finder are given a wide assortment of search options, allowing users to keep their plan analysis at a high, overview level or dive deep into the plan details. Users at the highest level can select to search different plan types and compare up to three Medicare plans side-by-side. Users have the option to then click on the internal links under each plan for more information on the individual plan’s coverage details.

“The Medicare Plan Finder provides a wealth of information, but for people unfamiliar with this site, the Plan Finder may add to the complexities Medicare beneficiaries face as they try to choose a Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan,” notes Dr. Susan Johnson, co-founder and technical director of the Q1Medicare site. “The goal of our tutorial is to provide a simple guide so the Medicare community can better navigate the Medicare.gov site and find the Medicare plan that most affordably meets their prescription and health coverage needs.”

The Medicare Plan Finder tutorial can be found directly at Q1Medicare and is available to the public at no cost. Like other Q1Medicare tools, the Medicare tutorial is designed to work on PC, smartphone, and tablet platforms.

As a complement to the Medicare.gov Plan Finder, Q1Medicare has also updated their own online Medicare plan finder tools, the 2012 PDP-Finder and 2012 MA-Finder, both designed to provide the Medicare community with a quick overview of their 2012 Medicare plan options. Q1Medicare reminds seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries that they can enroll in a 2012 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan or Medicare Advantage plan through Wednesday, December 7.

About the Q1Medicare.com Website

Q1Medicare.com is one of the largest independent online resources for Medicare Part D prescription drug plan and Medicare Advantage plan information. Q1Medicare offers a comprehensive section of Frequently Asked Questions, online tools, and a free Medicare Part D Newsletter all designed to help Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, advocates, advisers, and insurance agents better understand the Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage programs. Q1Medicare.com is operated by Q1Group LLC (Saint Augustine, Florida).

The guide contains key steps for setting up a retail outlet in Singapore as well as a list of licenses required for popular types of retail stores. Ms. Jacqueline Low, Director of Singapore company formation services firm, Janus Corporate Solutions, the parent of GuideMeSingapore elaborated, “The latest data released by SingStat shows that Singapore’s retail sales excluding automobiles has increased by 7.4% year-on-year in August 2011 and that many retailers have registered sales growth between 1.8% and 8.8% in the same period. In light of the depressed global economy, such growth is a testament to the strength of Singapore’s retail sector, leading us to expect retail business formation activity to continue at a fast clip in the near future. Hence, in our guide, we have included the requirements for setting up five popular types of retail businesses in Singapore namely (a) supermarkets, (b) pharmacies, (c) telecommunication stores, (d) liquor stores and (e) cosmetics outlets.”

As the income of Singapore consumers rises, Singapore’s retail industry has grown and diversified to entice them. Foreign entrepreneurs whose retail businesses offer unique consumer experiences or products that are currently unavailable in the market will have a competitive advantage. They will also have a good opportunity to grow their retail operations in Singapore. If they wish to relocate to Singapore to manage and oversee the operations of their outlets, they may qualify for the Singapore EntrePass, provided their business plans are innovative enough and will generate local employment opportunities. Businesses wishing to transfer key employees from their home countries to kick start operations must ensure that their employees meet the eligibility requirements of the Singapore Employment Pass.

“The renewed employment pass framework would level the playing field for Singaporean professionals to compete for junior to mid management roles in the retail industry. Ultimately, every business that is based in Singapore should enhance the economic pie for everyone,” Ms Low added.

The BuySAFE seal demonstrates to online consumers which sites are dependable and can be trusted when purchasing products online. For any online Canadian pharmacy to receive this seal and become fully certified by BuySAFE, the site must successfully pass a series of thorough tests. These tests will confirm the sites security and reliability.

Moreover, BuySAFE provides a 3in1 guarantee to ensure that transactions are secure and efficient, using certified sites. This guarantee is offered free of charge to all patients of the Canadian Pharmacy. The first part of this guarantee provides a promise that a consumer will receive what they paid for or they will be given a refund. The second part of the guarantee is the protection of identity theft. The final part of this guarantee ensures the lowest prices. Quality Prescription Drugs offers 20%-80% savings on prescription drugs. Furthermore, if the drug you purchase lowers in price within 30 days, you are eligible to be refunded the difference of up to 100 dollars.

BuySAFE monitors the performance of each purchase to ensure the highest quality service of a business. BuySAFE verifies a company’s background, business status, and devotion to terms, conditions, and sales standards to make certain consumers are receiving the best service.

Quality Prescription Drugs is strongly devoted to the service and safety of all patients. Quality Prescription Drugs also meets all standards of The Canadian International Pharmacy Association, Pharmacy Checker, McAfee, GeoTrust, eDrugSearch, and now BuySAFE, illustrating our dedication to the security of our customers. Patients can shop confidently for their prescription drugs at Quality Prescription Drugs and rest assured they are receiving not only great prices, but exceptional and reliable service.

The survey’s results also affirms Canada Drug Pharmacy’s commitment to offer the lowest prices possible for generic and brand name prescription drugs, with a guarantee of beating the prices of products advertised by competitors. In fact, the company has made a name for itself by offering medications at savings of up to 90% less than competitor sites.

The survey compared an approximate 90 day supply of 20 popular prescription medications. The same strength and quantity of medications were compared from CanadaDrugPharmacy to those of three traditional pharmacies. The results were not surprising. For brand name drugs from CanadaDrugPharmacy, the prices were on average 63% less than those from traditional pharmacies. When generics drugs were substituted from CanadaDrugPharmacy and compared against brand name equivalents from traditional pharmacies, the price differences were even greater. On average the prices from CanadaDrugPharmacy for generic medications were 81% less than brand name equivalents from traditional pharmacies, with some drugs being over 90% less!