The cost of these tablets on prescription in Australia is about $10 each. I notice some pharmaceutical companies in India are offering them for about 40 cents a tablet. Has anyone had experience with this please?
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One has to be very careful comparing Australiaās pharmaceutical prices, especially to those in many Asian countriesā¦as fradulent or fake medicines are rampant in many countries. These medicines look the same, are packaged in a similar way, marked as having the active ingredients (which they donāt have) and are sold to the unexpecting. Some of these medicines also can be very dangerous, bot only because they donāt treat the underlying ailment, but they have also been known to contain harmful ingredients.
One shouldnāt buy pharmaceutical online from overseas thinking one can save some money, as often one will get potentially a very dangerous placebo. If it isnāt a potentially a dangerous placebo, then it could also be a scam.
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Here is the answer Choice gave in August 2016 to the question of buying medicine from overseas:
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With deference to Choice as well as conservatism, many third world purveyors of medications are owned by multinationals and large conglomerates that have as good a reputation for quality, honesty, and reliability as any.
Recent actions in India are highlighted in this article.
As for quality of legitimate medicines made in India? Not exactly unbiased but factual anyway.
It is possible to save money on certain scripts and OTC medicines, but one must be familiar with the foreign country and its businesses and its government oversights.
For prescription medicines one should need a script acceptable to the government in the country of supply. That may not be one written by an Australian doctor. A vendor that does not require a prescription should be suspect of peddling questionable counterfeits.
Since getting a ābadā medicine from abroad could have significant consequences, conservatism is the best way to asses whether one should consider it. I have friends from India who import; they know āthe dealā. I buy some OTC items from the USA and I āknow the dealā. If one does not āknow the dealā one should not even consider it.
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I remember a current affair program I saw some years ago regarding shonky medications from India.
I donāt recall if it was Four Corners or 60 Minutes but it highlighted both the problems with false or dangerous āmedicationsā and āmedicationsā which did not have a sufficient quantity of the active ingredient, in particular, antibiotics.
There were valid concerns that not only would these shonky antibiotics not treat patients correctly but also increase the risks of developing antibiotic resistant superbugs.
During one segment when the reporting crew were walking in some backstreet, a pile of timber āaccidentlyā fell from several stories above which narrowly missed them.
Cialis is a prescription only medication in Australia.
You cannot legally import a prescription only medication into Australia without a valid Australian prescription or authority.
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Absolutely @fred123. As I wrote as a counterpoint, those who āknow the dealā, eg how āitā works in another country, who and how to trust as a legitimate business, oversights, and so on can do. Others should not even think about it.
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That is true, but if one is searching online for a particular medicine, how would one know:
- that the medicine being advertised has been produced by a multinational with high level of quality control (and not a knockoff in counterfeit packaging); and
- the retailer of the medicine is authentic and honest and only sells verifiable quality medicines from known and proven manufacturers (and not a sham or scam website).
There are many examples of medicines which are marketed (advertised in spam emails, marketed through social media advertisements or found by internet searches) which have duped those thinking they could save money by fulling a prescription or self diagnose their own conditions, and have bought sham products. There are also many warnings (e.g UK NHS, ACCC, FDA etc) about risks of buying online medicines, especially from foreign countries.
Unless one knows with absolute certainty that the products they are buying are genuine (which is possibly impossible if one is buying from another country where standards, controls and enforcement are less rigorous than Australia), then there is a high risk that the medicines purchased may not be the real deal.
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At least the telcoās have put a stop to the formerly endless emails from charlatans offering opiods including oxycodone, ED medications, and numerous other prescription only items at ābargainā prices.
No perscriptions needed. No worries.
Exactly
An individual from or who āknows the dealā in that country (one time resident, frequent visitor, friend fromā¦) would reasonably know the genuine from the risky to the shonkies.
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Easy for me to say, we can afford to purchase local stock - can online deliveries be a trusted product? Weāve bought OTC meds when travelling and been amazed at how different they perform, every time.
Iām naive, I admit that, but trust Aus regs to deliver a standard for meds. Please that this this standard is maintained.
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In Beijing you can buy Viagra and Cialis over the counter from Chemist Shops. From memory, about 5RNB each which is about A$1.
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Thanks everyone for responding to this topic. The consensus seems to be that buying such items from overseas countries is distinctly risky. Unfortunately, the $10 per pill cost remains extortionate.
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Yet it is less than in the US - note this is in $USD. The 10mg is pretty special!
Americans with health insurance may or may not have it covered partially or at all, or have annual excesses they must meet before anything is covered.
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Why are we so interested in saving a few bucks by risking our health on dubious medicines?. Our PBS system makes most medicines affordable especially for those of us on a pension. I agree that the cost of $10 per pill is high but I would still rather pay that then risk my health.
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For more than one reason.
There are apparently specific risks with usage that a qualified Medical Practitioner needs to assess on an individual basis. A DPMQ ($502.30 for a pack of 56) reflects the Govt cost when prescribed on the PBS.
Cialis (Tadalafil is the generic name), is also available subsidised on the PBS, subject to approval itās necessary medically to treat the diagnosed condition.
https://www.pbs.gov.au/medicine/item/1304P-1308W
$41 for a pack of 56 x20mg, less for concession card holders. There are also 2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg dosages.
One source suggests that no more than one 20mg strength tablet should be taken in a 36-48hr period. A lower dosage may be medically recommended. A pack of 56 is going to last a long time.
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I never said it was risky. I said they were approx $1.00 per pill, and they worked fine. I am only disappointed that I did not purchase more.
On a slightly different note regarding pill pricing irregularities, I have just ordered another pack of Nexgard Spectra for our little dog from Budget Pet Warehouse who display these prices for the 4 different pack sizes.
Whilst the 6 pack is much better value than the 3 pack, and the 12 pack is slightly better value than the 6 pack, the pricing of the 9 pack makes no sense at all.
Actually itās only $30 for 8 generic tablets at chemist warehouse by Sandoz - probably made in India.
My friend has been using an Indian version for about 15 years. Whether or not psychological- they do the job it advertised at about $3 per tablet
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Thanks to Nexgard Spectra - Go little doggie!
At nearly $12 a dose they need to be good. 
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Thanks for that. Iāve checked Chemist Warehouse on line and their price is $29.99 for 8 Sandoz Tadalafil (Cialis) tablets. A lot better!!!
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