COST OF BIOLOGICS

Hello, hope everyone is having a good day, and if not I send prayers and hugs.....

Can anyone please tell me what the cost of Biologics are for those who do not have a drug plan or who's drug plan does not cover biologics?

I understand there are lots of different Biologics out there, but info on any of them would be helpful, if I can find a reasonably priced one, I will ask my doctor about it. I also understand that the amount you buy plays a factor. Im just looking for a general estimate.

I am currently on methotrexate, and my doctor said once I am stable on this drug that he plans to add a second medication to mount an aggressive approach on my RA, to help stop the bone erosion in my hands and feet and hopefully put me in remission. he has already asked me if I have a really good drug plan, so Im guessing the drug he has in mind is costly.

The methotrexate cost close to 100.00 for a six week supply.

Also, do you take a biologic once a week? And...I know Humera is one of the most expensive ones out there, is that because it works better? or are you paying for the brand name because its so new?

Enbrel costs $2500/month, IIRC. They have an assistance program for people without insurance:

http://www.encouragefoundation.com/index.jsp

Good luck and I hope you get the meds you need (and that they work quickly for you!) I'm glad your doctor is treating the RA aggressively. That's a good thing.

Post Edited (Carole_D) : 3/5/2014 2:40:47 PM (GMT-7)

Remicade is $5K per infusion without insurance, but they have a program to pay for up to 8(?) infusions per year at a cost of $50/infusion that's called RemiStart. Most people on Remicade get infusions every 6-8 weeks after an initial build-up period.

Carole_D, thank you, I will check out the link.

Are all the drug manufactures in the USA? or do they have Canadian divisions? will a USA company give a discount to someone out of the country?

I know this seems like silly questions, but I really dont know this.

vitaka, wow the price is staggering..

If Remicade is given in the hospital, I wonder if Ontario Health (used to be called OHIP) will cover it. I will look into it more. In Canada prescriptions are not covered unless you are on Social Assistance or have a plan form work, for anything from a pharmacist. But things given at the hospital are usually always covered....

Hi Hobbits, as requested, here's a bit of an explanation. I hope it makes sense

inside the cells of the body, there is a series of molecules that make up the major histocompatability complex. There are two classes of MHC. MHC I and MHC II. The role of MHC is to present pathogen(Foreign bacteria etc) peptides(bits of the pathogen) to immune cells in order to trigger a response to the pathogen.

A cell will detect a pathogen, perform phagocytosis (eat the pathogen), break it down and use MHC to present it on it's cell surface for a CD8+ T cell (T Killer Cell, these guys are major line of immune defense) to trigger an immune response and inflammation. most vertebrate's have MHC inside its cells to protect it from pathogens. In humans, MHC I is called HLA. HLA stands for Human Leukocyte Antigen. There are many varied types of HLA.

Normally, with auto immune diseases, mainly Ank Spond, Ulcerative Colitis, Chrons, and other degenerative Arthritis diseases, HLA/MHC is involved in some manner. With auto immune diseases the HLA/MHC has difficulty detecting the difference between your own cells and pathogens. This causes HLA/MHC to launch attacks on your own body.

The most effective way of treating these auto immune diseases at the moment, is using biological drugs that block or inhibit cytokines. Cytokines are molecules that cells use to communicate with one another. TNF Alpha is the most commonly blocked. TNF alpha is the cytokine used to promote and signal inflammation. Infliximab/Remicade is one example of a biological drug that blocks TNF alpha.

Currently Pathologists are studying and researching methods of blocking other pathways, or alternative methods of treatment with biologicals. This is due to the current cost, and the body being able to eventually create anti-infliximab antibodies, which resist the effects of infliximab and allow cells to continue TNF alpha promotion. Anti-infliximab antibodies are the bodies way of growing a tolerance to drugs like infliximab.

Sorry, many of us thought you were in the USA, However the drug makers of these medications might have discount plans for Canadians as well...you'll just need to google the medication your doctor prescribes for you. Maybe go to your pharmacy and ask about discounted programs for medications...
Many well wishes and keep us posted on how your doing...

Steve246,

Thank you for this info, it makes sense and now I also understand why, when I read peoples posts, they say a drug worked great, sometimes up to 2 years or more...then it stopped working....I had wondered why people have to keep switching medications.

De La Rosa, thank you for the suggestion, I will google cimzia and learn what I can about it. Its a drug I never heard of before!

ETsC10

Thank you very much for the info and phone number, much apprieciated!

I am also noticing huge price differences in the exact same drug, I looked up the cost on google and sometimes there is a 1000. difference, depending on where you buy it, I noticed Humira was one the most expensive...however these were online pharmacies all located in the USA. I can not find any of these online pharmacies located in Canada, so I will in fact need to go directly to the drug company.

Im new on here too, welcome aboard, and Im glad to hear your meds are working well for you!

Hi Hobbit,

The biologics are very expensive drugs, no matter what country you reside in.  That being said, someone pointed out that many pharmaceutical companies offer assistance for those without insurance.  I've also recently discovered that some doctor's offices have "free" or "recycled" samples that they may give out for free.  If a patient in that practice has to stop enbrel, for example, he or she may have 3+ boxes of the pre-filled syringes at home.  If they are donated to the doctor's offices, sometimes the medical assistants may give them out as "free" samples.  Your best bet, however, would be to contact the pharmaceutical company directly and ask what assistance programs they have.

Best of luck.

Elcamino