Questions and answers about our online pharmacy
If you've never visited an internet pharmacy before, you probably have a number of questions for us. Hopefully you'll find answers to your questions on this page. If not, please don't hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-888-431-2025.
Payment and pricing
Q. How much money can I save ordering from Canadian pharmacies?
Naturally, this depends on the medications you order. In general, you can save anywhere from 30% to 80% on your prescription costs, compared to prices you would pay in the United States. Most of our customers can expect to cut their drug bills in half.
Q. Why are Canadian drug prices lower than U.S. prices?
Canada has government price controls on prescription drugs - the United States does not. Drug manufacturers must negotiate prices for their products with the Canadian government; this keeps medication affordable for consumers. In the United States, prices are unregulated and big pharmaceutical firms are free to set their own prices. The higher these prices are, the more these pharmaceutical firms profit.
Another factor which lowers prices at Canadian pharmacies is the availability of generic drugs. Generic drugs are comparable to name-brand drugs, but can be purchased at significantly reduced rates. All the generic drugs sold at our online pharmacy are safe, reliable, Health Canada approved products.
When you buy Canadian drugs you also benefit from the favorable exchange rate between the Canadian and U.S. dollar: one American dollar can be worth up to $1.50 in Canada. All prices on our online pharmacy are listed in U.S. dollars, so you will not have to pay a currency exchange fee.
Q. What additional fees will I be charged?
None. At our online pharmacy, you pay the cost of your medication and $9.95 USD for shipping. There are no additional charges.
Q. How should I pay for my order?
You can pay using VISA, MasterCard or electronic check. If you wish to pay by electronic check, simply provide us with your name as it appears on one of your normal checks, as well as the routing and account number from the check. In order for us to charge your checking account directly, we will also require your drivers' license number and your mother's maiden name. You can enter this information in the Billing Information section of our online patient profile form.
If you need more information about payment methods and electronic checks give us a call at 1-888-431-2025.
Q. Can I use my U.S. insurance coverage to pay for my prescription?
No. As a Canadian pharmacy, we cannot accept payment from a U.S. insurer. We will provide you with a receipt which you can submit to your insurance company to claim back your medication expenses. Check with your insurance company first to find out whether or not they cover Canadian drugs.
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Shipping
Q. If I order drugs from Canadian pharmacies, won't the cost of shipping cancel out my savings on drugs?
At MapleLeafPharmacy.com we charge one low shipping fee of $9.95 USD. This charge is per order, not per prescription. This means we can ship multiple prescriptions together for one fee, or bundle orders together (for family members or neighbors) to save costs. If you would like to have multiple orders shipped together, please contact us by phone (1-888-431-2025) or fax (1-888-431-1894). We will ship as many medications together as can fit in one parcel.
Another way you can take advantage of the per-order shipping fee is by ordering larger quantities of Canadian drugs at once. For example, if you order a 90-day supply instead of a 30-day supply of medication, you will pay one shipping fee instead of three.
All the drug prices listed on MapleLeafPharmacy.com include a dispensing fee. This means certain drugs are less expensive when you order in volume. As with shipping, when you order a 90-day supply as opposed to a 30-day supply, you pay one dispensing fee instead of three. Please call our toll-free number for more information: 1-888-431-2025
There are only two circumstances in which you could be required to pay more than one shipping fee:
- You have ordered more medications than can fit in a single package.
- One or more of the medications you have ordered is not available from Canada, and must be shipped to you from a different country. In this case, you would pay one shipping fee per package per country.
Q. Why would a Canadian pharmacy be shipping drugs from a different country?
This will only occur if you require a medication that is not currently available in Canada, but is available from a reputable pharmacy in a different nation. We have agreements with licensed filling pharmacies in Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Israel, which have been inspected and proven to meet the same standards of quality as our own Canadian pharmacy.
We will contact you to obtain your consent if we need to send part of your order from a different country. Having access to pharmacies in other nations helps us to provide you with high quality, inexpensive medications as efficiently as possible.
Q. How long will it take for my order to arrive?
It depends. If you have ordered a new prescription, it will take 14-21 days to be processed and shipped to your door. If you have ordered a refill of an existing prescription, it should arrive in 7-14 days.
Please note: A package may be held by held by U.S. customs for up to 30 days. Unfortunately, this is beyond the control of our online pharmacy, and you will need to consider this possibility when timing your orders.
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Safety and quality control at our online pharmacy
Q. Are Canadian drugs as high in quality as the drugs I can buy locally?
Yes. All the prescription drugs provided by our pharmacy online are approved by Health Canada. Health Canada is the Canadian federal regulatory body which monitors health and safety risks related to the sale and use of drugs. Like the federal health board in your country, Health Canada works together with industry to set strict regulatory requirements for drug manufacturers. To be approved by Health Canada, drugs must meet the highest standards of quality and safety.
Additionally, many drugs sold by Canadian pharmacies are manufactured in the same facilities as drugs sold by American pharmacies. The medications you buy from online pharmacies in Canada were likely produced under identical conditions to the medications you buy locally.
Q. What about the inexpensive generic drugs offered by Canadian pharmacies? How are they regulated?
A generic drug is simply a copy of a brand-name drug. It is allowed to be produced and marketed after the brand-name drug's patent has expired. Because a generic drug manufacturer does not have to pay the cost of researching and developing the drug, it is less expensive to produce. This makes it less expensive for you to buy.
As with all medications available from our online pharmacy, generic drugs must meet Health Canada's strict requirements. These medications are manufactured in Canada, where standards for generic drugs are among the highest in the world. In order to be approved for distribution, a generic product must be proven to contain the same active ingredient at the same strength as its name-brand counterpart does. It's the same medication, just less expensive.
Q. Why does medication from your online pharmacy look different from the medication I buy at home?
Any differences you notice between U.S. and Canadian drugs are simply differences in packaging. A Canadian drug may come in a different container than you are used to, or the medication itself may be a different color or shape (a pill instead of a capsule, for example.) These differences are purely superficial - the active ingredient in your medication is the same. Fundamentally, the medication you receive from a pharmacy online is the same as the medication you would usually take.
Q. The medication itself may be safe, but what do you do to ensure quality when it is dispensed, packaged and sent to me?
All prescriptions filled at MapleLeafPharmacy.com are dispensed by Glenway Pharmacy (Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association #32173.) Glenway Pharmacy is staffed by health care professionals, licensed pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. These are the people who check your order multiple times to ensure you are receiving the appropriate medication in the correct quantity and at the highest quality. When you submit your medication order to our pharmacy online, this is what happens:
- Your personal and medical information is reviewed by trained quality-assurance staff.
- A health-care professional from our Cyber-Clinic™ phones you at home to verify your information and answer any questions you may have regarding your order or medication needs.
- A Canadian physician re-checks your medical information in order to verify your prescription(s).
- Your medication order is entered into our online pharmacy software, where it is automatically checked for drug interactions. This is a particularly important step if you are taking more than one type of medication.
- A pharmacy technician fills your order in our dispensary and reviews your prescription information again.
- Your prescription is run through one final check by a licensed pharmacist before it is shipped to your home.
Ordering from Canadian Pharmacies
Q. How can I place an order?
Not ready to order yet? Click here if you'd like to begin a drug search
Q. Will I need a prescription to order medication online?
Yes. Before you place an order with MapleLeafPharmacy.com you must be examined by a licensed physician in the United States, and obtain a recent (less than one year old), written prescription for each medication you wish to buy. Your prescription will be reviewed by our Canadian physician, who can then issue a Canadian prescription for our Canadian pharmacy to fill.
Q. When will I need a new prescription?
Our online pharmacy can fill your prescription in 90-day installments, and will continue to refill the total amount of medication prescribed by your physician for up to one year. When one year has expired or your prescription has run out, you must make a medical appointment and get a new prescription.
Q. Why can't you send more than a 90-day supply?
At this time, a 90-day supply is the maximum quantity of medication allowed to be purchased from online pharmacies for personal use by U.S. citizens.
Q. How do I order refills on my prescription?
You can phone, fax, mail, or process your refill order online. If you are contacting us by fax or mail, you will need to print our refill ordering form. If you require a new medication as well as a refill on an older prescription, ask us to package them together and cut your shipping costs. For more information on refills and forms, click here.
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Restrictions
Q. Is it legal for Canadian pharmacies to fill American prescriptions?
Yes. Your American prescription and your medical history are reviewed by a licensed Canadian physician. If the physician approves your prescription, it is legal for us to fill it.
Q. Are there any medications you don't sell?
Yes. Most of the medications available in Canada can be purchased through our online pharmacy, but some medications are not yet available in this country. You can find out which products we carry by using our drug search or by speaking to a representative in our call centre. Check back often - we will add new drugs as soon as they are available to us.
MapleLeafPharmacy.com does not sell any narcotic, habit-forming, or controlled substances such as Valium or Tylenol 3, nor do we sell lifestyle drugs such as Viagra. It is illegal for us to ship addictive or controlled medications across the border. Also, for reasons of safety and quality, it is not possible for us to ship refrigerated medications at this time.
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More Questions
Please call us toll-free at 1-888-431-2025.
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