How CIPA Verifies Canadian Online Pharmacies
CIPA, or the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, is an association of licensed, retail pharmacies that regulates the sale of Canadian prescription and over-the-counter medication to both Canadian and U.S. customers. CIPA can be thought of as one part of the robust system of drug regulation that is an integral part of Canada’s progressive healthcare system. With so many American consumers now looking to the north for prescription medication prices far below what is typically paid in the U.S., CIPA and organizations like it play a vital role in ensuring that Canadian online pharmacies, like Canada Pharmacy, can be trusted to supply prescription medications that meet every standard of effectiveness and safety expected of the same drugs south of the border.
Why You Need CIPA
CIPA is now so necessary because Canadian drugs have become a booming business, which in turn attracted many rogue pharmacies and other criminal activity wishing to take advantage of the millions of Americans using these online pharmacies. The reason this business has exploded is simple: prescription medications are, far more often than not, prohibitively expensive when purchased in the U.S. In Canada, they are typically as much as 70% cheaper.
The reason for this stems not from any difference between the medications offered (they are the same) but instead from the vastly different government policies that the two countries enact towards the marketing of prescription drugs to their respective domestic markets. In the U.S., the government’s role is decidedly hands-off; quality and effectiveness are strictly regulated through the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), but the actual pricing is left entirely to the pharmaceutical companies. The effect of this is that prices are set high, and this is justified with the dubious argument that the extra revenue gained from the American market (on average 2.5 times greater than anywhere else) is necessary to fund research into new drugs.
In Canada, it is a different story. The Canadian government actively caps the amount that prescription drugs may be sold for. Pharmaceutical companies, faced with the prospect of losing access to the entire Canadian market if they do not accept, simply go along with this. This is that which has led to rise of the Canadian online pharmacies providing much more affordable healthcare to millions of overcharged Americans. Organizations like CIPA exist to ensure customers really receive their drugs from authentic Canadian pharmacies.
What can CIPA Offer?
When you visit the website of an online pharmacy based in Canada, you should look for the “CIPA approved” badge. This is your first indication that the website is entirely legit and will provide you with the highest quality Canadian meds. Yet the organization offers so much more than a simple stamp of approval; by visiting their website, you can check whether the pharmacy claiming to be CIPA approved actually is. And much more too.
There are currently only sixty-eight websites authorized to display the CIPA seal. By visiting their website, you can see this list and instantly validate the pharmacy you are using.
CIPA also works closely with Canadian government and the other Canadian regulatory bodies, such as the CFIA, in order to effectively validate the pharmacies it lists. The CIPA website also provides valuable and practical information regarding how to spot rogue online pharmacies, as well as a news service that tracks the latest developments around the incredibly dynamic and hot button issue that Canadian pharmacies (and their use in the U.S.) has become.
CIPA not only gives you what you need to validate a pharmacy, but it also actively informs you about how Canadian drugs are kept safe and effective.