The Quest for Generic Viagra: A Prescription for Disaster

Part II: Canadian Pharmacy Northdrugmart

I begin my investigation by searching for a Viagra pharmacy website. The first company I am drawn to is located in Ontario, Canada. They can be found at northdrugmart.com/faq.php or 1-866-600-9222

The website looks like a simple blog that my seven year old nephew can put together in a few hours. But, there are plenty of neat links, and the price is right… dirt cheap! Nothing fancy on the website, just an FAQ and an order page with a list of every generic drug under the sun.

The website is approved by a pharmacy verification program, meaning they can advertise on the mother of search engines “Google”.

My first order of business is to understand how this process is legal, since clearly it violates FDA law.

“According to the FDA it is illegal for anyone to ship prescription drugs not approved by the FDA into the U.S., even though the drug may be legal to sell in the pharmacy's own country.”

If there is time left over, I want to ask about the medical side effects and drug interactions with the customer service representative, who shouldn’t answer any of my questions, as they are not a licensed doctor/pharmacist.

Let’s see what our neighbors to the north are all a-boat, ehhhh.

North Drug: Hi this is Jon, how can I help you?

Mung: I have some questions, can you help?

North Drug: Well yes.

Mung: Great,  What’s the difference between generic and regular Viagra?

North Drug: It might have a different name and might look different, but it is able to have the same effect.

Mung: And this is not the herbal kind or natural Viagra? I mean I need to get hard and I don’t want to mess around.

North Drug: No this is Generic.

Mung: OK, I live here in NY. Are you able to ship drugs here in New York?

North Drug: Yes, we ship to United of States, of course.

Mung: Are you located in the U.S.?

North Drug: No, we are located in Canada, in Winnipeg?

Mung: Oh, so they are shipped from Winnipeg then, right?

North Drug: No, well in this case we ship Generic Viagra from India.

Mung: Ohhhhhh from India? And that’s legal for you to ship from India to me here in the US? Because I don’t want to break any laws.

North Drug: Yeah. No it’s OK.  We can only send you a 90 day supply though.

Mung: And are you a doctor? Or, if I have any medical problems or questions, who can I call?

North Drug: Well you can call us, we have pharmacists who can help you.

Mung: Can I call you if I have any problem? What is your extension?

North Drug: No, you would speak to a pharmacist who would help.

Mung: But I feel like we are making a connection here. OK, well.  Are your people registered doctors?

North Drug: They are doctors, from Canada.

Mung: I see. As far as side effects go, off the top of your head, do you know of any I should be concerned about?

North Drug: I never heard of a patient with problem and we deal with India long time. Many satisfied customers.

Mung: If I have an erection for a really long time, should I call you up or should I call India? Would you be the one to come over to help me come down?  I just want to know if the time difference in India will be a problem, in case I have a late night erection.

North Drug: Yes, I understand. No, you won’t have any problems.

Mung: So I should call you then?

North Drug: No sir, there won’t be any medical problems.

Mung: If I have diabetes will I be able to take this medicine?

North Drug: Yes... well I would have to ask the pharmacist about that. If you give me a moment I can get to her.

Mung: No that’s OK. Doctors make me nervous, since I had a prostate exam that went wrong when I was young. I’d prefer talk to you.

North Drug: So the best way to buy this is to go on our website, or we can do this over the phone.

Mung: I don’t like to give my credit card over the phone. We just met. How long does it usually take to get the drug to my house?

North Drug: It usually takes 2-3 weeks, since it is coming from India, but might take less. India is usually good.

Mung: Do I need to go through a doctor or need to give you any medical history to get these pills?

North Drug: Yes, you will need to provide a prescription from your doctor.  We can then ship the medication to you.

Mung: Perfect. I am already getting excited.

North Drug: Are there any other question? Then have a great day.

Mung: You too!

My first experiment is a success! Our neighbors to the north outsource their drug distribution, and have no qualms about skirting issues of the law. At least Jon thought enough to put me on the phone with a pharmacist when I started to ask medical questions. But something tells me he was catching on to me and wanted to cover himself.

I am still trying to put this together – so… they do require a prescription from my physician. My physician will issue a prescription for the FDA-approved Viagra. Then, I can take this prescription and fax it to my new friends in Canada. Once approved by the pharmacist in Canada, they can then have India ship out the “generic Viagras” to me.

It is apparent that Canada follows, at the very least, some code of ethics. But how far would companies located in the Eastern Hemisphere go to get my money?  Would they be more willing to bend the rules? And would they speak English? Stay tuned.

                                                      Next: Part III - British Virgin Island Pharmacy - tl-pharmacy Phone Call