Prescriptions and ordering

Q. Do I require a prescription in order to buy medicine?

A. Yes. You must present a legitimate prescription written by a doctor who holds a Canadian medical licence and is authorised to write prescriptions.

Q. Can I place my prescription order with you by fax, email or mail?

A. Yes. However, like an online order, we still require that you send us your original paper prescription by mail before we can ship or deliver your order. For fax, email and snail mail orders, you can download a complete package of the necessary paperwork here. We can accept faxed prescriptions directly from doctors, as long as the prescription is on the doctor’s letterhead.

Q. Can I order several refills at once?

A. Yes, as long as the quantity you order does not exceed a 90-day supply and is covered by the number of refills provided for in your prescription.

Q. How large a supply of medication may I purchase?

A. You may order only as much as your physician prescribes for you. The maximum allowed by law is a 90-day supply. Your physician may choose to give you up to three additional 90-day supply repeats on your prescription. If your medical condition requires the ongoing use of medication, we recommend requesting three 90-day repeats from your doctor. This covers you for one year and allows you to order refills without needing to see your doctor for a new prescription each time.

Q. Can a prescription from a pharmacy outside Canada be transferred to you?

A. No it cannot.

Q. Why do I have to fill out a medication history form and sign a legal waiver?

A. We ask this for two main reasons. First, as part of our service to you, we complete a drug interaction review (DUR) to ensure that your prescription is safe to take with your other medications and over-the-counter drugs. Second, in order to fill your prescription in the event that questions arise and we need to speak with you or your doctor, we need your permission to do so.

Q. I ordered a certain quantity of my prescription, but you sent me a different amount. Why?

A. To ensure the safety of our shipments, we cannot send opened medication vials. We recommend all medications to be sealed in their original packaging and sent to the patient in the same condition they came to us from the manufacturer. Therefore, prescriptions are filled with the closest quantity carried by our pharmacy. For example, if the prescription states 90 tablets, but the bottle size is 100, then we will send 100.

Q. Can I send you a photocopy of my prescription?

A. No. We always need to receive an original prescription. For Mobile app online orders, we ask that you send us a picture of the prescription and send us the original paper copy by mail; we need to receive the paper copy before we can ship/deliver your order. This expedites filling your new orders. For refills, on-line order suffices.

Q. Can I fax my prescription?

A. Yes, but like an online order, we still require that you send us your original paper prescription by mail before we can ship/deliver your order. We can accept faxed prescriptions directly from doctors, as long as the prescription is on the doctor’s letterhead.

Q. I sent you my order by fax, mail or e-mail and I can’t see information about my order status on the website.

A. You can check the detailed status of your order online when you place your order online or by phone. Orders received by mail, e-mail or fax can be checked in detail by calling our customer service.

Q. Can I fill quantity different from my Doctor prescription?

A. Yes, as long as the quantity required does not exceed 3 months’ supply and your Rx allows the requested quantity based on the amount of refills authorized on your Rx.

Q. What happens if I make a mistake when placing my online order and accidentally enter it differently than what my doctor’s prescription says?

A. A customer service agent will contact you to check in about any discrepancies prior to processing your order. Once we resolve the discrepancy, ADV Care will fill your prescription order accordingly.

Q. Why do I need to mail you my original prescription after placing my order and sending a picture of it by mobile app?

A. Sending a picture using our mobile app expedites the processing of your order, but regulations require that the pharmacy receives and retain your original paper prescription before we can ship or deliver your order. For refills, an online order would suffice as long as there are remaining refills.
However, we are allowed to accept a prescription that is faxed directly from your doctor’s office and on the doctor’s prescription letterhead. As such, to save time, you can ask your doctor’s office to fax or prescribeIT your prescription to us at 1 (877) 948-0464.

Shipping and payment

Q. How fast is delivery?

A. Depending where we ship your medications, your first order may arrive within 2-15 business days. In general, most orders arrive within estimated days or less, which is the service standard that we strive to maintain. Still, to mitigate any possible problems, we suggest you order your refills well before you run out of your medications. Our automated refill reminder service, available on the ADV-Care app, is a handy way to make sure you never run out of your medication. You can get further information on delivery times here.

Q. How much are shipping charges?

A. Click here for our shipping fees. You can save money by ordering all your prescriptions at one time. You can get further information on delivery times here.

Q. Do you charge sales tax on prescription orders?

A. No. There is no sales tax charged on Prescription order products. But sales tax is charged for OTC products shipped to Canadian destinations.

Q. How can I pay for my medications?

A. We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Card, EFT, bank wire transfers, E-Checks and money orders, or alternately, by fax (which is located in a secure area of our offices for your privacy), or by telephone, toll-free, at 1 (888) 471-4721. . Also, we charge directly your Canadian health insurance and charge your co-pay to the payment method provided.

Q. Can you bill my insurance company?

A. Yes we accept all Canadian insurance plans.

Q. Do you offer catalogues or price lists?

A. We do not have a catalogue, but you can search our products database for prices and availability. During business hours , you can also use our online chat feature or call our customer service department toll-free for further information at +1 (888) 471-4721 or +1 (905) 948-1991.

Medication sourcing and manufacturing

Q. Can I get access to generic drugs through ADV-Care?

A. Yes. You will always be given the option to choose either a brand name medication or a generic (when available), unless your physician has specified no substitutions on the prescription.
Pharmacies are allowed to substitute generic medication (when available) for brand-name medication without asking again unless the physician has specified no substitutions on the prescription.

Q. Why do some of the medications I order from you look different than the ones I have bought in the US, even when they’re the same drugs?

A. Often, medications sold in Canada are manufactured in the US, which means they’re exactly the same.

In some cases, medications are manufactured in Canada or in accredited facilities elsewhere. These drugs are often still manufactured identically for distribution in both the US and Canada, but sometimes they’re sold under a different name or look different than their US-manufactured versions. (For instance, in Canada, Prilosec is called Losec and comes in pill form rather than as a capsule. Still, it is the same drug made by the same manufacturer.)

We only fill Canadian prescription with the version sold in Canada; the difference is only a manufacturer’s branding choice, and the medication itself remains the same.

Q. Why are generic drugs more available early in Canada than in the US?

A. Patent protection laws in Canada are different than in the US and allow for easier and earlier manufacture of generic and ultra-generic drugs. Ultra-generic drugs are generic drugs produced by the brand name manufacturer.

Q. Are generic drugs safe?

A. Yes. Canadian generic drugs fall under strict approval and regulatory processes to the ones regulating brand-name drugs. Some Canadian manufacturers that you might recognize include Apotex, Sandoz, Teva and and Pharmascience; these, and any others we sell from, are also FDA-approved.

Medication availability and controlled substances

Q. Can medications with codeine be shipped outside Canada?

A. No. Some codeine products are available in Canada without a prescription, but codeine is nonetheless considered a narcotic, and it is against Canadian law to export narcotics.