With the cost of prescription drugs spiraling out of reach for many people, Americans are increasingly taking their business across the border to Canadian online pharmacies. A recent study by the Canadian better Business Bureau found prescription drugs to be 62 percent lower there than in the U.S.

In a survey by The Bulletin, common allergy medicine Claritin was 56 percent cheaper in Canada. Lipitor, to fight bad cholesterol, from a Canadian online pharmacy was 22 percent less and arthritis drug Celebrex was selling at a 45 percent-discount.

”Two people could easily have a $1,000 prescription drug bill, all out of pocket,” said Kurt Furst, executive adviser for prescription drugs for the Oregon Health Plan. ”It’s eating up such a large percentage of their retirement income.”

Health plans, too, are growing weary with that trend and are offering reimbursement for prescriptions filled at a discount outside the United States. UnitedHealth Group sent a clear message to the federal government and pharmaceutical companies at the beginning of October by announcing they would reimburse its members for drugs purchased outside the U.S.

UnitedHealth follows other large health maintenance organizations, like Humana Inc. and Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield, that have been doing it quietly for a while.

Scott Forslund a spokesman for Premera Blue Cross and Blue Shield, spoke out week following UnitedHealth, telling Reuters the company would reimburse patients for prescriptions from ”Tacoma or Timbuktu” provided they are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Premera is based in Washington and operates in Oregon too.

Today, there are dozens of Canadian online pharmacies from which to chose. A few of them are Canameds.com, crossborderpharmacy.com, onlinecanadianpharmacy.com and RxNorth.com. The procedures for getting started are pretty simple. Fill out a form online that includes: your personal data, medical history, billing and shipping information. Fax your prescriptions to the pharmacy for verification by a toll-free fax number. A pharmacist is required to call to verify the order, which could take a couple of days. The pharmacist will process the order and ship it.

Delivery generally takes two to three weeks for new prescriptions, depending on the pharmacy. Refills may take only a week or two, depending on the pharmacy. Shipping is typically in the $10 to $15 range.

Consumers should do some research before committing to one online pharmacy, however.

”They need to make sure that they are dealing with a pharmacist licensed by the Provincial College of Pharmacists,” said Dawn Polley, president of

onlinecanadianpharmacy.com.

For one in the Pacific time zone, try the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia at (604) 733-2440.

Legitimate pharmacies will also always insist on a copy of the doctor’s prescription, have a pharmacist call you back and have a toll-free number to call with questions.

Polley recently started her online pharmacy after realizing the large discrepancies in prices in the United States and Canada, she said.

According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, a consumer in the United States pays on average one-third more for a prescription drug than a consumer pays for the same drug in another country.

Polley’s customers are mainly senior citizens in the United States with no drug coverage plans.

”They’re on the most medications and can save the most,” she said.

Some people have shied away from buying their drugs outside the United States for fear that it was illegal. If that’s so, then U.S. Customs, which monitors the cross-border activities, is complicit in an illegal act.

In fact the U.S. Senate passed a unanimous amendment in July this year that endorses the practice of filling prescriptions outside the United States, provided the drugs are manufactured in the United States, conform to FDA standards and are not used for resale.

There are still some lingering claims that imported drugs are not comparable, yet Polley said, ”we get our drugs from the same sources and U.S. pharmacies.”