Purchasing prescription drugs from an online Canadian pharmacy still makes some Americans weary because the Food and Drug Administration warns that it's not safe.
However, DoctorSolve Online Pharmacy (http://www.doctorsolve.com) is owned and operated by experienced physicians motivated by a desire to provide their American neighbors with access to better healthcare.
Eventually, a desire to provide more personal patient care prompted them to open several ambulatory medical clinics near the U. S. border in Vancouver.
According to Zickler, it was only a short time before they realized there was a huge need for seniors on a fixed income, and other uninsured Americans, to have cheaper access to prescription drugs.
"We felt it was unethical not to make medications available to people who could otherwise not afford them, "says Zickler.
"So we obtained permission from the FDA to mail prescriptions to patients unable to pick them up and founded DoctorSolve."
Further championing the cause for affordable prescription medications in the U.S., the doctors also helped establish the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA), a non-profit trade association that ensures member pharmacies adhere to strict safety guidelines and provides consumers with factual information about the pharmaceutical industry.
During their eighteen-year tenure at Royal Columbian, the dynamic doctor duo played a significant role in developing the specialty of emergency medicine, championed legislation for the mandatory use of seatbelts and motorcycle helmets and developed cardiac life support programs.
Drug companies pay the FDA about $260 million per year in fees, according to Marcia Angell, M.D., the New England Journal of Medicine's former editor in chief and author of "The Truth about the Drug Companies."
"The Prescription Drug User Fee Act has undoubtedly constrained the FDA's independence and influenced its decisions," says Angell.