Zithromax z pak over the counter in U.S. since 1998, and you can buy some in the U.S., but not Canada. It's available in the U.K. under trade name "Zovia." The brand is actually manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline in the U.K., but there have been a number of complaints in the United States about quality of the product.
"Unfortunately, it's difficult to buy here," says Dr. William Schaffner, chair of preventive cardiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and founder of Preventive Cardiology. "If you're looking around, there are very few places out there where people can get Zovia, even for free."
The story about FDA being concerned the Zovia brand of aspirin started with a blog post from The Wall Street Journal in June. Since then, many news organizations have reported on Zovia's FDA complaints. The brand of aspirin used in the U.S. was acquired by Novartis (NVS) in August and is called generic Glucophage, according to a company press release. Novartis says Zovia is no longer sold in the United States.
"This issue has been discussed on some blogs as the only reason this company doesn't sell Zovia in the U.S.," says Zithromax 100mg $93.02 - $0.52 Per pill Dr. James Leshner, a New York cardiologist. "It's not that they don't sell it in the U.S., they just don't have any good information about this product, or lack thereof, in the U.S. It's not because they don't sell it. In fact, they probably sell a lot of it in the U.S."
In Canada, the U.S. generic is called generics. "Generic" similar to in that it's used identify a generic drug made by large pharmaceutical manufacturer. For Zovia, it's generic Glucophage. That contains Zovia's active ingredient, but not all the other "stuff" that makes up generic Glucophage.
If you do want Zovia, will have to go a pharmacy for it. generic Glucophage runs between $4 and $5 a pack, while brand name one can run between $10 and $15.
"Generic Glucophage has never caused harm to the consumer in United States, nor has Zovia been linked to adverse reactions in the United States," a Novartis spokeswoman told CNNMoney in an email. "We sell Glucophage in all 50 states as a generic."
Zovia is no longer available in Canada on the over-the-counter market. only Canadian pharmacy order zithromax overnight with Zovia is in Toronto. There are online pharmacies that sell generic Glucophage -- all require a prescription to purchase -- but they don't carry all the different versions of generic drug.
If you want a generic Zovia, can request one online, which will be mailed to you, according Schaffner.
While Novartis's generic is not available at Walgreens stores in the U.S. and two generics that are available only for home use in the U.S., Schaffner says a few generic Glucophage products are currently available in Canada. All require a medical prescription.
The generic Glucophage sold by Walgreens in Canada is called S-S-S (for Strenglaxin-S). According to Walgreens' website, the drug may reduce risk of heart disease by about 30% compared to other non-sulfonylurea options.
The generic S-S-S drug was developed by Glucophage's inventor, Dr. David R. Gannon, in the late 1960s. It has never been approved for the U.S. market, according to FDA's website.
If you need more details about generic Glucophage, please visit the FDA's website.
Other headache medication options
The other headache drugs that are available in Canada, like Orap, Advil and Motrin, are also not available over the counter. Orap and Advil are generic versions of the long-term painkiller acetaminophen. According to Novartis, the generic version of Orap costs between $80 and $100 a month, costs about 30% less than Orap brand-name drug.
The generic Motrin is also a version of the common anti-inflammatory medication Tylenol, according to Novartis. The generic Motrin will cost about $40 a month, with the generic version costing 45% lower than the name-brand version.
You can buy Orap in Canada, but it is not available over the counter, according to site Pharmacy Express.