Frequently Asked Questions & Policies
- Do I need a prescription to buy prescription drugs online from IsraelPharm?
- Yes. By Israeli law, a valid prescription is required. Without a legal prescription from your American physician, we cannot send your order.
The prescription must be faxed (toll-free 1-866-544-8993) or emailed (rx@israelpharm.com) to us in its original form with no changes.
- How safe are the drugs from Israel?
- The Israel Ministry of Health uses the most stringent regulations for the quality control of all name brand and generic drugs through the strict enforcement of the internationally recognized Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines.
All medications are certified by the Israeli Ministry of Health, and most are certified by the FDA as well.
- Why do some of the Israeli drugs I ordered look different than in the U.S.?
- Very often the same medication is packed differently in other countries, and sometimes the same drug is called by a different name. For example, in the U.S. a medication might come as a round, red tablet; in Canada it could be an elongated white tablet; and in Israel, the same medicine may be a blue and white capsule. Also, the packaging might be different than its U.S. equivalent.
All packages contain a patient leaflet printed in English and Hebrew. All medications in Israel are labeled in Hebrew, Arabic, English, and Russian.
To summarize, the drug you order may have a different:
- Brand name (eg. Fosamax
is called Fosalan in Israel)
- Packaging (blister pack, box, bottle, etc.)
- Form (tablet, capsule, caplet, round, oval, etc.)
- Color
- Name
The bottom line is: The medicine itself is identical and of the highest quality.
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- Can I trust the pharmacists at IsraelPharm.com?
- In Israel, a pharmacist is only licensed to practice after receiving a university degree, followed by an internship.
Only the Israel Ministry of Health can give the license, after which the pharmacist is assessed during his or her years of practice
in order to ensure the highest professional standards. Once qualified, licensed pharmacists are allowed to dispense and fill prescriptions.
There is constant updating of information, and the pharmacist is required to have knowledge of all of the latest drugs.
In addition, our managing pharmacist was trained and is licensed in Australia.
- Are Israeli drugs kosher?
- No. Although, other Israeli pharmacies will claim that all Israeli drugs are kosher, this is not true.
Almost all rabbis will say that a medication that is required for someone's health, even if it is not for a life-threatening illness, does not have to be kosher.
Vitamins do not necessarily fall under this category.
Before Passover, you can contact us and ask which drugs are "Kosher for Passover" per the "Badatz of the Eida Chareidit of Jerusalem."
- What is the difference between generic and brand name drugs?
- When the patent of a brand name drug expires, drug companies can manufacture exact copies of these drugs, provided they have the exact therapeutic and standard quality as the original.
Generic drugs are usually much less expensive because the price no longer reflects marketing, research, and development costs of the original patent.
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- What kind of drugs can not be supplied?
- Being a legal and ethical online drugstore, we are not able to supply psychotropic drugs (e.g., Xanax, Ritalin, Valium, etc.) or drugs that need to be refrigerated (e.g., insulin).
At this time, we are unable to provide medication for animals of any kind.
- Is there any limit to the quantity of medications I can order at one time?
- U.S. regulations prevent Americans from importing more than a three-month supply of medications at a time.
Israelpharm.com complies with this regulation. Obviously, buying a three-month supply from our online pharmacy saves you money,
since you only pay one shipping fee.
- What information must I provide when I place an order?
- The most important piece of information is your prescription, which must be less than a year old and written by a physician licensed to practice medicine and prescribe medications in your country of residence. No prescription medication can be dispensed unless a valid prescription is provided. You also will be asked to complete a medical form, where you will need to provide information about your medical history and current medications, as well as your address and phone number.
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- How can I place my online prescription medication order?
- Your order may be placed online.
Our website is 100% secure and we are PCI compliant.
- What if I have a prescription with a refill for more than a three-month supply?
- We keep all prescriptions on file until their expiration date, so you can reorder online after each three-month period; there is no need to fax the prescription a second time.
We will contact you before your original order runs out to see if you would like to have your refills filled.
- Can I transfer my prescription from an existing pharmacy to IsraelPharm?
- Israeli law requires us to have a prescription written by a physician licensed to practice medicine in your country of residence.
We are able to accept prescriptions via fax (1-866-544-8993) and email, but we cannot accept prescription transfers from other pharmacies.
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- What prescriptions does IsraelPharm accept?
- IsraelPharm accepts written prescriptions transferred to us via email or fax (1-866-544-8993).
Under Israeli law, we cannot accept digital prescriptions or pharmacy transfer prescriptions.
- How much does shipping cost?
- Shipping costs $20.00 per order, no matter the size of your package.
- How long will I have to wait for my medications to be delivered?
- Orders are normally processed in the pharmacy and shipped within 48 hours. If your medications are backordered,
we will inform you within 24 hours of processing your order.
All orders are expedited using EMS, which includes online tracking and will be delivered to your door via USPS within seven to 10 business days after shipping.
Note: U.S. Customs has the right to open and inspect any package, which may delay your order.
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- Can I return any of my medicines?
- No. The Israel Ministry of Health prevents us from taking back any medicines once they have left the pharmacy. Therefore, there are no refunds on prescription medication.
- Are Israeli drugs cheaper than American drugs?
- Drugs sold in Israel cost up to 70 percent less than drugs sold in the United States. Americans generally save 50 percent on drug bills when they shop at Israelpharm.
The Ministry of Health in Israel limits the price for which drug companies can sell their medications, and this is the saving that we pass on to you.
- Why are drugs less expensive at IsraelPharm than in the U.S.?
- In Israel, pharmacy prices are lower because the government controls the prices to keep pharmaceutical products affordable. The United States is the only developed country in the world with no similar price controls, and pharmaceutical companies can set prices for their own products, which invariably ends up more favorable to the company than to the consumer.
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- Are there any hidden charges?
- There are no hidden taxes, fees, or surcharges through our internet pharmacy!
The only charges you will experience are the cost of your drugs, as listed on our website, and a $20.00 per package
shipping charge. Note: American Express payments will incur a 2-percent surcharge.
- What methods of payment do you accept?
- We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express (+2 percent).
Your credit card will be billed as PFS Israel based in New Jersey. Note: Orders will not be shipped until payment is received in full.
- Will I need to calculate the currency exchange when
I pay?
- No. All prices on our web site are listed in U.S. dollars, and you are billed in U.S. dollars.
- Why do I get a security warning when I enter some of the pages in IsraelPharm.com?
- Security warnings are based on security settings made in your web browser's preferences. Warnings such as these are typical of any browser plugin when these security settings are enabled. They are not advertisements or a solicitation to purchase something.
The appearance of the security warning window may differ slightly in different web browsers.
For example, Firefox will display a slightly different popup window than that of Internet Explorer.
AlphaSSL provides IsraelPharm with its certified security symbol, and the website is encrypted and safe.
For more information please visit
www.alphassl.com.
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- POLICIES
- Counseling
-
- Pharmacists at Israelpharm.com will counsel all patients on the proper use, related side effects, drug interactions, storage methods, and any other issues related to each prescription.
- Should the patient choose to decline counseling, IsraelPharm.com can not be held liable for any harm that results from the improper use of prescribed medication.
- All patients are strongly encouraged to speak to one of the many qualified pharmacists at IsraelPharm.com
before beginning their prescribed medication for their own safety.
All medications are supplied with a label including directions for use.
You can email your pharmaceutical questions or any questions relating to the use of your medications here .
- Prescription Cosigning
- All prescriptions will be cosigned by an Israeli licensed physician; this is to enable your order to be approved by the Health Ministry in Israel.
The cosigning physician is in no way responsible for your primary patient care and is only facilitating the order process.
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- Compliance with Requirements of Law
- Information provided through this site will be held in the strictest confidence.
Your use of the website signifies your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of information provided by you in accordance with the following
Privacy Policy: All information collected by IsraelPharm.com is maintained in a database registered in accordance with the Protection of Privacy Law 1981.
All IsraelPharm.com pharmacists are licensed to practice pharmacy in Israel and are therefore required to uphold the law.
If you do not agree with this policy, do not use this website.
- Limitation on Use, Disclosure, collection and retention
of information
- No use or disclosure of personal information provided to this site will be made for purposes other than those for which the information was
provided, except where required by law.
IsraelPharm.com shall retain information as required by law and for the purposes set out herein only.
We will collect and store only information that we require to fulfill your orders or information that we need for professional reasons.
All information is stored securely on our servers.
- Customs Surcharges
-
- We are not responsible for any charges imposed upon you by your local customs agency or by any other governmental body. We assume all costs on our end. In general, the U.S. government does not impose any charges. However, other countries have been known to charge extra fees, and this is beyond our control. If you have concerns, please inquire locally before ordering from us. Unfortunately, unexpected customs charges are neither grounds for order cancellation, nor will we refund you anything you have been charged.
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