About Us
Who we are: The International Pharmacy Association of British Columbia (IPABC) has been proudly serving patients for over 20 years. Our goal is to foster the distanced-based delivery of high quality and affordable medications to patients. Our mission is to promote growth and vitality of our members.
What we do: We represent the interests of licensed international mail order pharmacy businesses that dispense Health Canada-approved pharmaceuticals and maintenance medications from our pharmacies licensed by the BC College of Pharmacists. IPABC members also have relationships with other regulated international pharmacies and fulfillment centres sources that sell medications approved by the health authority where they are located and that deliver medications directly to patients.
- Through development and adherence to strict safety and privacy protocols, our members have maintained a 100% perfect safety record over our 20-year history
- In addition to mail order dispensing, all IPABC members operate local pharmacies and many provide walk-in services within their communities.
- We only dispense up to a typical 90-day supply of pharmaceuticals upon receipt of a valid prescription. Our members do not sell controlled substances, narcotics, highly temperature sensitive products, or any product containing pseudoephedrine.
- Our patients in the U.S are often on fixed income and un-insured or under-insured, and we provide life-saving medications they would otherwise not be able to afford.
- Canadian drugs can be 50-80% less expensive than in an American pharmacy. The United States is the only western democracy that does not regulate the prices of patented medications, and Canada has a federally regulated process for establishing drug prices known as the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB).
Some example of the drugs we commonly dispense:
- Xarelto and Eliquis – prevention of blood clots and heart attacks
- Zetia an Crestor – reduction of cholesterol
- Wellbutrin XL – treating depression
- Januvia – treating diabetes
Safety
IPABC members adhere to stringent standards to ensure patient safety that has enabled us to maintain a perfect record over our 20-year history.
Our pharmacies:
- Require a valid prescription before dispensing medications;
- Obtain demographic and medical information from the patient and maintain a health profile with medication history to avoid adverse drug interactions;
- Have a licensed pharmacist on staff to supervise dispensing of medications and to be available for consultation; and
- Have procedures to ensure patient privacy and confidentiality of personal records and contact information.
Effective Self-Monitoring
IPABC pharmacies are licensed and approved by the BC College of Pharmacists and follow Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) Standards of Practice, an extensive set of policies and protocols that are built on the practice of pharmacy with added requirements to address the eCommerce and distance dispensing model.
Each of our members display the CIPA red oval seal signifying integrity, quality, and trust. A verification tool on CIPA's website confirms that an IPABC-accredited website meets the CIPA standards, and there are only 63 websites authorized to carry the CIPA seal. The verification tool identifies legitimate member pharmacies and ensures patient safety.
CIPA also is aggressive in identifying and reporting fraudulent online pharmacies to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and directly to appropriate parties.
Commitment to British Columbia
Our members significantly contribute to the BC economy, both locally and provincially. We employ over 750 full-time staff, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, call centre representatives, software programmers, IT technicians, shipping clerks, professional accountants, a wide range of administrative personnel and more. We also indirectly create hundreds of additional jobs throughout British Columbia.
