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Humira vs Remicade

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 9/28/2015 5:47 PM (GMT 0)
I need to come up with an alternative to remicade. I was using Remistart to offset some of the cost, but because I am now on Medicare, they will no longer provide any assistance and I can't afford to stay on the treatments. Has any one had success with Humira?

Mike Whitehurst

Allergic to most UC medications
Used prednisone for over 10 years
Have been on Remicade for 9 years
Posted 9/28/2015 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
Remistart has an extended support program that's indefinite (renewed by you annually) and is worth $10,000 in benefits each year.
www.remistart.com/for_providers/remistart_extended_access_program.html

The alternatives to remicade are humira, simponi and entvyio (the most expensive). All have patient assistance programs equivalent to remistart. You'll have to look at the fine print and see if one will help you better.

www.myhumira.com/InsuranceHelp/FAQ.aspx

www.simponi.com/sites/default/files/pdf/simponione-cost-support.pdf

/www.simponi.com/ulcerative-colitis/support

/www.entyvio.com/hub/

Have you considered medicare gap insurance? It might lessen the blow some...

Sorry no generic biologics in the usa, yet. All are brandname and crazy expensive. Europe has some biosimilars to remicade, essentially generics.
Posted 9/28/2015 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
Can you get a private prescription drug plan that supplements your medicare plans? From what I read on the Remistart page they don't offer assistance under state/federal plans (like Medicare), but if you had a private drug plan would that work?
Posted 9/28/2015 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the response, but most of these knock you off the program once you go on Medicare; however, I believe I will be able to afford my share of Humira - I can't afford to stay on remicade.
Posted 9/28/2015 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
CCinPA,

I am a retired state employee and have insurance with them, but it will not qualify to stay on Remistart and even with this supplement, I just cannot afford to stay on the program.Thanks for the suggestion though.
Posted 9/29/2015 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
Mike_in_Georgia:

Do you suffer any permanent damage from taking prednisone so long? Have you been tested for bone density loss etc.?

I have been on it for one year, average 10mg per day. I recently dropped down to 5mg and all the blood came back. I had very little blood for a long time.

(I'm taking Humira, 10 injections so far, but it's done nothing. Wanting to get off prednisone but haven't found an alternative yet.)
Posted 9/29/2015 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
I have always been a runner and that builds bone mass. I did have had a bone density test several years ago and everything looked ok. I took large doses of prednisone - as much as 100mg, but my usual dose was 60 and then tapering. It worried me, but I am allergic to most UC medications. I have done pretty well on remicade, but without cost support it is not affordable. I'm hoping I can get the same or better result on humira.
Posted 9/29/2015 10:45 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on both and did not have a good experience with humira. I resumed remicade after 3 months of humira. Is simponi an option for you? It was my first choice when switching but my insurance denied it and required that I try humira first. Based on my research, it's more beneficial for UC and humira is more for crohn's. I was working in the GI lab last week and the IBD specialist was going to prescribe simponi for our patient after seeing her colonoscopy. I asked him why and he said it gives very similar results as remicade but was recommending it for her since it's a self injectable.
Posted 9/30/2015 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
platinumpixie,

Thanks for the input on simponi. I will discuss it and humira with my gastroenterologist.
Posted 10/1/2015 1:33 AM (GMT 0)
sorry...picking up on the prednisone....Have UC...try IVIG. Worked for me.
Posted 10/1/2015 1:02 PM (GMT 0)
What is IVIG? I haven't heard of that one.
Posted 10/1/2015 3:39 PM (GMT 0)

Mike_in_Georgia said...
What is IVIG? I haven't heard of that one.

IVIG - Intavenous Immunoglobulin: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1728132

It's an alternative treatment for uc. The study cited was a small scale, open label and therefore you have to be a little cautious. It does have some research behind it though.
Posted 10/1/2015 6:45 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks.
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