Local online pharmacy saving patients thousands on prescription drugs

CULVER CITY, Calif. - It’s one of those businesses that seems 'too good to be true' an online pharmacy that purports to save patients thousands of dollars on their prescription medications. But what’s buzzing behind this concrete establishment in Culver City is the real deal.

Honeybee Health is an online pharmacy that’s run by a dedicated team of licensed pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and patient advocates.

Founded in 2018 by Peter Wang and Dr. Jessica Nouhavandi, Honeybee sells only FDA-approved generic medications.

Wang says it’s already helping 10,000 patients in the United States save an average of 80% on their prescriptions. “We don’t have to deceive or lie to people just to try to make a few extra dollars,” says Wang.

In fact, he says generic medications cost very little. For instance, the generic for Prilosec, one of the most commonly prescribed medications for acid reflux, costs as much as $20 at a standard pharmacy. At Honeybee, a 1-month supply is priced at $4.

What’s the catch? 

Honeybee says it buys from FDA approved wholesalers, minimizes the mark up and sells directly to patients with or without insurance because generics don’t require insurance.

In doing so, the proverbial middleman- the co-pay – is non-existent.

Honeybee was born after the rising cost of prescription drugs personally hit home for Wang. He says his sister, Nina, was denied her mental health medications because of an insurance coverage gap and she simply couldn’t afford the out-of-pocket cost.

Without her medications, she wandered off and wasn’t found until three days later. Wang says, “For someone who is on disability there’s really no option but to walk away. To this day, she’s still recovering.”

With experience running a brick and mortar pharmacy together in Moorpark, Wang and Dr. Nouhavandi founded Honeybee.Unfortunately, Honeybee is the exception. With the proliferation of online pharmacies, Dr. Ken Thai of the California Pharmacists Association says navigating your health care with a click has become increasingly difficult. 

In fact, according to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, of the almost 12,000 internet drug outlets selling prescription medications, almost 95% were operating out of compliance with state and federal laws. To safeguard yourself, before you order prescriptions from any company online, Dr. Thai says to make sure the online pharmacy has been vetted and is recognized by the NABP.

If it’s not, he says it’s likely illegitimate. To find out, log onto www.nabp.pharmacy.

Of course, little known Honeybee checked out as a safe site and is now thriving in 38 states, offering thousands of medications including the top 200 generics dispensed in the U.S.

For more information, log onto www.honeybeehealth.com.