cost for zytiga

[joeoconnell]

i am receiving the equivalent of Zytiga made available through the V A, i hear it is costly. i wonder how much the V A pays for it, and i wonder what a regular person has to pay for lets say, a years supply , on the open market

[AlanMeyer]

Joe,

Here's a web page showing costs at various U.S. pharmacies:

goodrx.com/zytiga?gclid=Cjw...

[AlanMeyer in reply to AlanMeyer]

The costs on that page are for 120 pills of 250 mg each = 30 day supply.

It's pretty expensive. I think, by the way, that the guy who invented it was working for the UK government sponsored Institute of Cancer Research, not for the current patent owner of the drug, who may not have paid anything for the research costs, just bought the patent later (I'm speculating about that, so don't take that speculation as gospel.)

I tried searching with Google to find the actual manufacturing cost of the drug but I think that info is well hidden. Maybe it's 50 dollars a pill. Maybe it's 50 cents. Maybe it's five cents. Who knows? The manufacturer knows, of course, but they aren't telling. Here's a coupon from the manufacturing offering it for $10/month instead of the regular $8,000 to $10,000.

zytigahcp.com/shared/produc...

Ain't drug pricing a hoot?

Alan

[joeoconnell in reply to AlanMeyer]

OMG!

[Cmdrdata in reply to AlanMeyer]

Alan, as I was just prescribed by my Oncologist to take Zytiga here's my experience:

1. Got call from my Part D insurer: denied. I then appealed

2. While waiting, I signed up with Janssen care path that promised $10 co-pay: Oops they said, we can't help you. They suggested other websites, but the 4 they mentioned do not take any applications.

3. After they confirmed with my Onc's office, insurance says: approved.

4. Then got a call from US Bio-something: we received your info. Your co-pay is $3K for one month's supply. I said, oops, can't afford it.

5. Now trying to decide what to do. Cancer sucks.

[AlanMeyer in reply to Cmdrdata]

Yes, cancer sucks, and so do the drug company's pricing plans.

I have heard that sometimes things can be made to work just by battling - call Jansen again, call the insurer again and tell them about the $3K co-pay. Maybe they (the insurer) has more leverage to force down the co-pay than you do. Maybe they'll lean on the source.

Finally, consider contacting the Indian pharmacies. They sell it for a fraction of the U.S. price. Is it counterfeit? Personally, I think it's very likely the real stuff, though it will be generic. As I understand it, U.S. drug patents are not legal in India and the companies that make and sell the generics are perfectly legitimate Indian pharmaceutical companies, not basement labs stuffing sugar and dust bunnies into capsules.

There is a danger that the pills you order will be caught and confiscated by U.S. Customs. It happened to at least one person in this forum. If that happens, I think you'll be notified. You should then notify the Indians and ask if they can reship a different way or refund payments (or maybe you can cancel the credit card payment - though that might be hard since the credit card company might consider that they would be breaking the law if they stopped the payment.) In any case, I don't think there's any danger to you. I have read that no American citizen has ever been prosecuted for importing drugs for a medical condition. I think any prosecutor would be out of his mind to stand up in front of a jury and try to convince them that this cancer patient, who can't afford to buy his life saving drugs in the U.S., should be punished for buying them abroad.

Best of luck.

Alan

[Mkeman in reply to Cmdrdata]

If you are in Part D your first month’s payment should be enough to get you to the Catastrophic level of the insurance. Mine was $2600. After that your co-pay should be 5 percent of the cost....mine is $560.

[Cmdrdata in reply to Cmdrdata]

An update: It was 7 months ago when I posted the above reply. Since then I have received several bottles from wifeofvet after her husband passed away, and a few bottles with co-pay help from Patient Access Network, their website site “not at this time” for Prostate Cancer. The nurse at my hospital somehow manage to submit an application and PAN grants the request for copay help. I am now on my 7th month of Zytiga. PSA is still at 0.1 (not undetectable though).

[DFZ4835]

My insurance company pays everything but $350.00 and Patient Access Network picks up the rest of the $9,000.00 a month. P.A.N. helps cancer patient pay for what insurance doesn't. There is a limit on how much you earn.

Dennis

[Hidden]

NT TImes in 2011 says $5000/month

nytimes.com/2011/06/28/heal...

[joeoconnell in reply to Hidden]

found out it has almost doubled in price to almost $9,ooo.oo per month

[Hidden]

Mine costs me 500 a month. Not sure how they came up with that. I see different amounts charged to different people. I’m on Medicare and blue cross supplement. 10,000 a month is just the reason people want to believe cannabis will help them. Maybe it will.

[Shooter1]

On Xtandi instead of Zytiga...12,000/mo. billed to insurance..$20 co pay right now.. Retiring and changing to Medicare and supplement, scary thought...