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Frequently Asked Questions
and Q & A:

 

Q: Do I need a prescription?
A: Yes. You must provide a valid prescription from a physician licensed to practice medicine and to prescribe medications in the place where you live.

 

Q: How large a supply of my medication may I buy?
A: You may order only as much as your physician prescribes for you. And you can order no more than a three month supply at a time if that is what is prescribed for you. We can however have your repeats filled for you as they come up.



Q: Why can’t I buy Valium, Vicodin or other similar drugs?
A: Norphar will not handle habit forming or narcotic pharmaceuticals, also known as scheduled drugs or controlled substances in some countries. We specialize in chronic care medicines that many people must take to sustain or improve their life.



Q: Will you accept my insurance?
A: We cannot accept insurance coverage from another country. However, we will provide you with a receipt so that you may make an insurance claim. We gladly accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express cards.



Q: Why do I have to fill out a history form and sign a limited power of attorney and release?
A: Because the pharmacists and physicians that we use cannot see you in person, they need to be able to assess your prescription and the potential drug interactions based upon the information you provide to them. They may even contact your physician if necessary. The limited power of attorney gives us the right to buy and ship medications on your behalf, and to speak with your prescribing physician. The release protects us in the unlikely event that your physician prescribed the wrong drug to you.


Q: Are these the same quality drugs that I can buy at home?
A: Canada is a first world country with exceptionally high standards and a rigorous approval system and manufacturing requirements for pharmaceuticals. Many of the drugs sold in Canada are exactly the same as those sold in the U.S. and other industrialized nations. Others are manufactured in Canada or elsewhere and are the version sold in Canada. Some may even have a different name or look different that the ones you are used to (e.g. in Canada, the U.S. drug "Prilosec" is called "Losec" and is a pill rather than a capsule, even though it is the same drug made by the same manufacturer). Norphar will not send you a pharmaceutical product that does not have an approved version in your country of residence.


Q: Why can I buy generic drugs from Canada that are not available where I live?
A: Because of patent law differences, Canada produces generic versions of brand name drugs that are not available in the United States. These versions are often available in Canada many years earlier than in other countries and usually offer substantial savings over brand names.

 

Q: Who makes the Canadian generic drugs and are they safe?
A: The generic drugs produced in Canada are subject to the same stringent approval and regulatory process as brand name drugs and are used by millions of Canadians on a daily basis. The manufacturers are very large and well respected. They include Apotex, Novopharm, Genpharm and Pharmascience.

 

Q: Why do you not sell all drugs?
A: Norphar offers substantial discounts over what our customers are used to paying for their medication. Not all drugs are less expensive in Canada than they are elsewhere. Some drugs have been generic for a long time and are therefore relatively inexpensive in their home countries. In these instances Norphar recognizes that they would be more expensive to buy through us so we do not offer them for sale.

 

Q: Can I transfer a prescription from my local pharmacy?
A: We cannot accept prescriptions transferred from abroad. We must have a faxed or original copy of your prescription.

 

Q: How do I pay?

A: It is extremely easy to pay at Norphar. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express.We now also take money orders and checks. (Ask us about checks and  money orders before paying.)

    

 

Q: Why do you not accept personal checks?
A: International-clearing for personal checks can often take over one month. We feel that this is an unacceptable delay in the order process.