MGI PHARMA to Present at the 2007 Merrill Lynch Global Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Medical Device Conference

Report Releases Prescription Drug Savings Statistics for Free Prescription Drug Card Holders

YourRxCard, provider of a free instant prescription drug discount card, has released its December claims report detailing user purchasing habits between generic and brand name prescription drugs. The report issued by www.YourRxCard.com reveals greater generic drug purchases by card holders, and over $46,994.13 savings to users in the month ending November 2005. The average user savings was 40% off of retail Pharmacy costs.

Baton Rouge, LA (PRWeb) January 22, 2007 -- YourRxCard (www.YourRxCard.com) has issued its December claims report on member savings, prescription drug purchasing habits, and predictions of future drug benefits and reach. YourRxCard is a Web-activated, free prescription drug card available to all Americans with no deductibles, pre-existing exclusions, or waiting periods to help with the increasing costs of prescription drugs. The card acts as a free repeat cash coupon on prescriptions.

Users of the free prescription drug card used 72.42% generic drugs and 27.58% brand name drugs in November, as opposed to most employer-provided prescription PBM benefit cards typically used for 25% generic drugs and 75% brand name drugs by members, according to YourRxCard's Chief Risk Officer, Rex Bowden Jr.

"(Month ending In November)… YourRxCard members saved $46,994.13 over the retail price of prescription drugs, and well over $150,000 since (YourRxCard went) live in July 2006," says Bowden. "YourRxCard predicts (that) as employers implement HSA, PCA, and HRA consumer/user benefit models, [consumers and employers will discover greater employer plan savings providing (the YourRxCard) free repeat cash coupon discount prescription drug card. Employers (will be able to) offer the benefits of YourRxCard to (their) employees, dependents, parents, and children for free. Which will result in saving millions of dollars through efficiency benefit cost gains. Everyone is eligible."

As a Web-based prescription drug discount solution, YourRxCard is working to build a strong brand online presence, to bring awareness of the drug card benefits to potential users. As a result of branding efforts, YourRxCard is very gratified that it can be found in multiple placements on page one of the top ten listings for search engines such as Google, AOL, Yahoo!, MSN, Webcrawler, Live, AllTheWeb, AltaVista, HotBox, and Ask.

The free prescription drug card is available to all Americans, including those currently on Medicare, to help with the rising costs of prescription drugs. YourRxCard's December claims report offers details on prescription drug claims and buy habits, based on statistics gathered in November 2006.

About YourRxCard.com
YourRxCard.com is a free prescription drug card program being produced to help all Americans cut their prescription drug costs. Individuals can download and print their free prescription drug card from www.YourRxCard.com, and receive savings of up to 75% at more than 50,000 national, regional, and local pharmacies. There are no deductibles, no waiting periods, and no pre-existing exclusions with the use of the card.

For more information about YourRxCard.com please visit www.YourRxCard.com, or contact Rex Bowden Jr. at 866-561-1926.

Contact:
Rex Bowden Jr.
YourRxCard
11608 Darryl Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70815
Phone: 866-561-1926
Web: www.YourRxCard.com

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Press Contact: REX BOWDEN
Company Name: YourRxCard
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 866-561-1926
Website: http://www.yourrxcard.com

¶ 9:52 AM 0 comments

Congressional Drug Importation Legislation: Good Medicine or a Poison Pill?

Companion legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House and Senate intends to permit personal and bulk wholesale importation of medication from Canada and several other countries. A regulated mail-order program is realistic, but the bulk wholesale component of the bill may actually kill the trade it seeks to facilitate.

Calgary, Canada (PRWeb) January 22, 2007 -- Licensed Canadian mail-order pharmacies like Minit Drugs have been safely dispensing affordable drugs to American patients for nearly 7 years.

Congress had made several attempts to legalize the trade with no success due mainly to Republican opposition and a tidal wave of lobbying efforts by the pharmaceutical industry. However, the congressional roadblocks may be lifting due to a shift in leadership in both the House and Senate in favor of the Democrats. Earlier this month the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act was again introduced in both chambers as bipartisan companion legislation.

The bill (S. 242/ H.R. 380), aims to permit both personal mail-order drug importation as well as bulk wholesale shipments from several designated countries, mostly in Europe. It also implements several safety measures including FDA inspection and approval of Canadian pharmacies as well as a pedigree system to guarantee a secure supply chain. For the first year American consumers would be able to order personal supplies of medications by mail from registered Canadian pharmacies. The measure would formally regulate a process that over 2 million Americans already take advantage of.

However, most industry experts agree that the inclusion of bulk wholesale trade after one year of personal mail-order access would lead to a catastrophic breakdown of the entire importation market. The excessive demand associated with bulk sales would multiply the volumes exponentially beyond that of mail-order trade and likely disrupt the domestic pharmaceutical market for any exporting country. Many industry analysts also predict that profit taking by American wholesalers and retail pharmacies would result in minimal savings being passed on to patients anyway.

Despite non-discrimination provisions within the bill, pharmaceutical manufacturers are sure to exploit loopholes that will stall and delay supplies thereby creating distribution chokepoints that no government will be prepared to endure. Manufacturers have already drastically reduced surplus drug supplies in the European Union in efforts to thwart "parallel importation" between wholesalers in those countries, despite legalization of the trade. These manufacturers are introducing only enough product into the European market to meet local demand, let alone massive diversion to the U.S. market.

The Canadian government (Health Canada) has been carefully watching developments in Washington and is expected to react to any move toward legalized importation with a ban on bulk exports and may even prohibit exports entirely. Such a ban would render the Act ineffective in the first year, leaving the bulk channel as the only unlikely option - one that few if any countries will likely permit.

"Canadian pharmacies are ready and able to service a mail-order program for uninsured patients. But opening a global trade for bulk drugs is simply not sustainable - it could jeopardize existing therapies to millions of Americans," says Barney Britton, President of Minit Drugs.

"Our pharmacies are often the last resort for the poor and disenfranchised. Risking the well being of millions of low-income Americans to satisfy corporate profit defeats the point of importation."

Minit Drugs (www.Pharmacy-online.ca) is a licensed pharmacy located in Calgary, Alberta (AB License # 1657), is CIPA certified and IMPAC accredited. All Canadian drugs are approved by Health Canada and dispensed by licensed pharmacists.

Contact:
Barney Britton
President, Minit Drugs
Ph. 1-877-530-3743
website: www.Pharmacy-Online.ca

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Press Contact: Barney Britton
Company Name: Minit Drugs
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 1-877-530-3743
Website: www.pharmacy-online.ca

¶ 8:16 AM 0 comments

UnitedStatesRXCard.com Introduces Free Prescription Card

UnitedStatesRXCard.com introduces a free prescription drug savings plan available at no cost to anyone in need of prescription benefits. Website visitors can create a free personalized RX card from the website and use it the same day to receive savings on both generic and brand name medications. This program offered by UnitedStatesRXCard.com was designed to provide assistance to those who are unable to afford or qualify for traditional insurance or benefit packages.

(PRWeb) January 21, 2007 -- UnitedStatesRXCard.com introduces a free prescription drug savings plan available at no cost to anyone in need of prescription benefits. Website visitors can create a free personalized RX card from the website and use it the same day to receive savings on both generic and brand name medications. This program offered by www.UnitedStatesRXCard.com was designed to provide assistance to those who are unable to afford or qualify for traditional insurance or benefit packages.

There are approximately 50 million individuals that remain uninsured in the United States and the cost of insurance premiums and medical services continue to rise significantly. The number of uninsured Americans continues to grow despite increased attention and public awareness of the worsening situation. Almost 1 in 6 individuals now living within the United States do not have necessary coverage for their medical needs such as prescription medications.

In addition to the savings on medications, Visitors that sign up at UnitedStatesRXCard.com will receive free basic access to WorldDoc, an online health maintenance website. This valuable resource offers an abundance of information about health and medical related issues. For example, these tools can help with weight loss, quitting smoking, lowering cholesterol or blood pressure levels, reducing pain and inflammation, coping with and treating symptoms of thousands of illnesses, and much more.

The UnitedStatesRXCard.com prescription savings program is available to anyone online regardless of age, gender, race, occupation or choice of lifestyle. Also, there are no restrictions on usage so that an individual or family may use the card as many times as needed. The program can be presented at 98% of all pharmacies in the United States including most major chains like Wal-Mart, Costco, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and CVS, for instance.

To receive a free prescription savings card from UnitedStatesRXCard.com, simply visit http://www.UnitedStatesRXCard.com/4732 and fill out the brief information request. One can print the personalized RX card produced on screen and take the printout to their pharmacy to receive the savings benefit. The cost of the medication will be reduced at the time of billing and any balance remaining will require payment at the point of service.

UnitedStatesRXCard.com is a prescription benefit promoter based in Houston, TX. For more information go to http://www.UnitedStatesRXCard.com.

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Press Contact: Director of PR
Company Name: UnitedStatesRXCard.com
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 800.549.6183
Website: http://www.unitedstatesrxcard.com/4732#

¶ 3:47 PM 0 comments

Drug Importation Legislation Can Save Money, Lives and Maybe Even Medicare D

Bipartisan drug importation legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate and House can offer Americans a legal means of accessing safe and affordable medications from Canada. Canadian online pharmacies support the mail-order provision of the legislation but warn that bulk wholesale trade of drugs is not sustainable or practical.

Winnipeg, Canada (PRWeb) January 18, 2007 -- Senators Byron Dorgan (D- N.D.) and Olympia Snowe (R- ME) along with Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Jo-Anne Emerson (R-MO) have re-introduced companion legislation in both houses of Congress aimed at facilitating importation of FDA approved medications from Canada and other countries. The Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act (S. 242/H.R. 380) intends to permit Americans to purchase prescription medications by mail from registered Canadian pharmacies for personal use and eventually allow licensed U.S. pharmacies and wholesalers to import wholesale medications from several designated countries in bulk. The bill brings an essential certification of safety and regulation by requiring FDA inspections of Canadian pharmacies and supply chain integrity through pedigree verification. It has also been given full endorsement by the AARP on behalf of its 38 million members.

Licensed Canadian online pharmacies like Rx Care Canada have reliably dispensed medications to American patients for 5 years via the mail and welcome the opportunity to service a government-regulated program. Canadian pharmacies have proven that for many under or uninsured Americans, mail-order prescriptions are safe, affordable and convenient with savings that range from 30-86% off retail prices. However, many suppliers warn that the bulk importation or wholesale component of the bill is unsustainable and beyond the functional capacity of the Canadian pharmaceutical market.

"The Canadian market can easily meet the demand for mail-order prescription drugs because it services a limited uninsured demographic. But to expect Canada to fill the shelves of pharmacies and wholesalers across the U.S. is unrealistic and not likely to be acceptable to the Canadian government," says William Skubovius, President & COO of Rx Care Canada (www.rxcarecanada.com). "The chances of Canada facilitating the trade of massive quantities of drugs on the wholesale market are slim to none."

Most industry experts concur that the Canadian government is sure to respond precipitously with a ban on bulk exports should the legislation become enacted. There is also serious doubt about whether other countries, in Europe for example, would tolerate large-scale export of their drugs to the U.S. Furthermore, profit taking by wholesalers and retail pharmacies will certainly mitigate most of the savings to patients.

"Very little of the savings from bulk importation would end up being passed on to the consumer. Whereas, mail-order would preserve low prices for consumers by cutting out the middleman," adds Skubovius.

In fact, savings from Canada are so substantial that they compete well and in many cases surpass the discounts from the Medicare D prescription drug program for seniors. This may account for why many seniors that enrolled in Medicare D have returned to RxCareCanada.com in recent months.

"Higher premiums, more limited formulary coverage and an even bigger doughnut hole in 2007 make Canadian medications an excellent alternative or addition to Medicare D plans," says Skubovius.

"Passing drug importation legislation could be a perfect plug for the doughnut hole while helping millions of younger Americans who lack health insurance."

Rx Care Canada Pharmacy is licensed by the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association (IPS license # 32690) and has been safely dispensing medications to American patients for 5 years. All Canadian drugs are regulated by Health Canada and dispensed by licensed pharmacists.

Media Contact:
William R Skubovius
Ph. 1-800-381-3594
Website: www.RxCareCanada.com

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Press Contact: William Skubovius
Company Name: RxCare Canada Pharmacy
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 1-800-381-3594
Website: www.rxcarecanada.com

¶ 9:33 AM 0 comments