FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 18 (UPI) -- Israel is becoming a popular alternative to Canada by offering low-cost prescription drugs, as well as providing an opportunity to support Israel.
Israeli companies such as MagenDavidMeds.com and IsraMeds.com advertise in national Jewish newspapers and magazines, often offering lower drug prices and solidarity, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Monday.
Like Canada and much of Western Europe, the Israeli government controls prescription drug prices, unlike the United States where prices of medicines are determined by the free market, the newspaper said. That often results in drug prices as much as 70 percent lower than in the United States.
MagenDavidMeds.com said its clientele consists mostly of seniors without private health insurance plans, as well as Jews and evangelical Christians who want to support Israel.
Some critics warn Americans who buy drugs from other nations are compromising safety to save money.
But Florence Socolov, 74, of Fort Lauderdale disagrees. She told the Sun-Sentinel, "I'm sure the drug companies of Canada do not wish to poison their people. Israel does not wish to poison its people."
