Hello - I heard this is now available in generic form ( Zytiga ) --- questions:
If I needed to take this medication at some point:
Is that true, its generic in the U.S?
What is the cost? - I have a Medicare Advantage plan
Can I buy additional Part D coverage in anticipation of a potential need for it?
Could the med be bought from a Canadian pharmacy?
Thanks
ken....it is generic--make sure your insurance will cover...it costs around $3,200 a month although cheaper in other countries---Canada likely....some say best price is in India...
Fish
Thanks Fish. Is that 3k out of the patients pocket or ins company?
If insurance doesn't cover, then yours....make sure the insurance covers is the key....I still have insurance through work...my max out of pocket is $6500--I ate the first month, and soon the second.....then all should be good....
Fish - didn't know u were still working - good for u --- I retired at 62 - my current plan has a max out of pocket but pretty sure it does NOT count meds in there -- mine max is $6500 - so u did not go generic?
Your plan at work counted the medication as part of your max out of pocket? Don't think mine does.... hoping I don't have to take it - but asking just in case....
How were the side effects? I hope not as bad as Lupron.... my best 2 u -- let's Fish, Fish ---where r u again? Again, I'm in NYS close to Albany but have a home in cape cod ma as well - fish on my beach every morning.. wish i can get back to that point in my life someday...
Yes....60 and still working...I plan on quitting at 63 1/2 if I am still able to work by then...so far, so good (Thank God).....at that point I can COBRA to 65 and get Medicare.... with Medicare---have to make sure the plan pays for the meds....Yes, I get the generic and it is $3200 a month--Zytiga itself was costing $11,000 a month before generic abiraterone ...cancer ain't cheap....I am in WV, but will come north...This summer is my plan....hoping to fish with Dayatatime on the St. Lawrence also....a trip to visit LuLu in the fall hopefully and see the magnificent desert near Tucson.... We may have cancer, but we can still have fun...
Zytiga costs INR 15,000/- per month here in Bombay, India. At INR 70/- to a US$, that works out to US$ 215/- approx. per month.
thanks
Do you have contact number or email where I can buy pls
I don't but there are people here who do. They buy from India regularly.
I think one person is LearnAll. Please do a post specific to this request and I am sure
you will get answers.
Sounds like you can afford it. Had wife on Cobra for 6 months once. Very expensive.
We have stuck with the non-generic because our MO got us on a plan with the manufacturer and we only pay a $10 co-pay.
Thanks, pakb - I'm on Medicare, an advantage plan.... will look closely at it....wow --- your MO got on a plan with the mfg....was there certain financial considerations you would have to have to get on it? I have a few dollars, and if there were certain $$ conditions, I doubt I would qualify --- do u know what the requirement were to get u on it?
No financial considerstions- and had nothing to do with our insurance. I'd ask your docs about it- I think you can also go to the manufacturer's site and apply yourself. Probably need a doctor's letter.
Try here... janssenprescriptionassistan...
Not sure how that works- and not sure if that is what our MO went through. We are not low income either- so whatever our MO hot us didn't have to do with that.
The manufacturer's website specifically states that if you have Medicare you cannot get their subsidy. I'm on Medicare with an Advantage plan through an HMO, my out of pocket was $1,200 per month for the generic version. It irritated my liver and raised my BP so I reduced my daily dose to 250mg with a low-fat meal, so the copay is now $300/month plus the Prednisone.
So sorry for laughing. But when I read your reply at first I got $1,200 per month irritated your liver and raised your blood pressure. I irritate my liver on a daily basis. Ran over and took BP since have been having issue. It is too low now. Thinking laughter lowers BP. I know I will ruffle some feathers (please, no chicken stories), I still think: everyone should pay the same price for their treatments. Period. The price for all cancer treatments should be $0. Period. Lu-177 and Actinium 225 should be available to everyone NOW at $0. Period. Not a political site and don't want to ruffle any feathers (please, no chicken stories), but the federal government wastes so much $$ they should be able to accomplish this in a day. Period. How much do your congressmen pay for health care? $0. Period. Enough, it is all so disgusting I would rather hear chicken stories.
Indy, since you reduced your dose have you had your PSA checked? Results vs full dose?
I started full dose Zytiga Jan 3rd. I wasn't on the full dose long, just 2 weeks when I had my first lab test of liver function and I lowered my dose at that time. My PSA on that date (Jan 15th) was 4.08 down from 38.47 one month earlier. I had been on Lupron for a month and a half by then and two weeks of IMRT. My next PSA was Feb 11th and is 0.26, and my liver functions are back to normal. I attribute my lowered PSA to all of the treatments that came together but I can't say if the full dose helped or not but the lower dose is doing its thing so far. Now that I have finished IMRT I expect my PSA to go lower at the next check in March.
My understanding is that there is another version of abiraterone recently released from a competing pharma that is about the same price.
And that there is a generic of abiraterone, of as yet undetermined price because it is not actually available for purchase.
There are plenty of good response by others that may be more pertinent to your situation but I did want to share my experience as it was unexpectedly odd. My insurance company was charging me $1,100 per month as my co-pay on Zytiga (generic). I almost fell out of my chair when I was told that over the phone. I asked whether he was sure that was the cost for the generic version and he assured me that it was.
The pharmacist then told me that Jannsen, who manufactures Zytiga, has a program where they absorb the difference in cost between what's covered and your co-pay , with only a $10 co-pay. I thought he was crazy but when I called Jannsen, they signed me up over the phone and I now pay $10 per month! They will cover up to $11,000 per year. I think they must have decided that getting less money is better than losing the market entirely. Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there, in case it applies to Medicare as well.
Good luck!
OMG -- that is incredible! Someone else mentioned that to me but I thought there must be certain qualifications to get in on that --- since I have a few $$ I would have thought I would not get in.... Hoping that there will be no need - just looking ahead....TY very much - I wish u the best...
btw --- are the side effect hard? --- was on Lupron for about a yr --- knocked me on my butt and added 15 lbs - took my T-Levels down from 503 to 21!!!!!
There may be a limitation on Medicare patients versus privately insured. You would have to check. I tend to get tired in the afternoons, so I work a 35 hour week, not the 40+ that I used to. The Prednisone really seems to handle most of the side effects. However, the Prednisone has its own, including weight gain, though that hasn't been that bad. I bought a rebounder (small trampoline) and it is a great way to get exercise and bring up your heart rate without over taxing joints and bones.
Good luck to you!
I have been on Z since Feb 2018. With Medicare Plan F, AARP SUpplemental Insurance, my co-pay for this Tier-5 drug like Z was 33%. At the time my copay cost would been $3000 for J&J version. I was fortunate to be able to receive copay relief from Patient Access Network. Generic Z became available around Sept-Nov 2018 time frame and my recollection is that my specialty pharmacy billed Medicare/AARP at the rate of around $7000. Because I have exceeded the medical copay limit, my current copay is $500/month.
For what it's worth, I live in NJ and have self pay Horizon BC to the tune of $935. monthly. I found out that without insurance, the cost of Zytiga is $11,500. A month. Yikes. Who could afford that YEARLY, let alone MONTHLY !
I started taking Zytiga and Predizone about 16 months ago because my PSA was slowly rising. It was still under 1. But going up. I was, and still am on monthly shots of Lupron and Xgeava.
My oncologist told me studies showed that If you went on Zytiga before Lupron stopped working, you would fair better.
My oncologist set up getting the Zytiga for me and all they said was I would get a call from someone and it would come by fedX to my door. I asked him if it would be covered by my insurance, and he said "it should be". I had read on here the price of co pays and was scared to death that I could not afford it. A few days later, I got a call from Dunn Meadow Pharmacy. They asked a few questions and then said I have a CO pay. I was nervous untill I asked how much? $10.00. That's it. I also only paid the Co pay for for 2 months, then NO CO PAY. I don't ask why, I'm just thankful. I would be more than happy to pay the $10.00 each month . After the 1st calender year and the start of the new calendar this year, again, I only paid 2 $10.00 co pays. I also get the Prednisone for $8.46 a month from them.
I AM VERY THANKFULL !!!
Yes, That's true! Generic is easily available. You can acquire it. However, mostly generic is importing from India.... Canadian & USA pharmacies importing it from India itself. You can try copay program etc. if USA pharmacy can help with that.....There are many online pharmacy selling it such as goodrx , wellrx etc....... but as they are middle source so they are bit expensive than Indian pharmacy. If you buy it directly from India then you can save much but source should be authentic.
What price you are getting now? As I was reading the post it is old rates.... the current price become lower around $1 per pill now. My husband is taking generic one made from India & PSA is going well with that .... We have been buying this generic directly from Indian online pharmacy medixo centre about a year now. Some Medicare Advantage plan can cover the some cost but usually no subsidy from manufacturer.
Zytiga (abiraterone acetate)
Abiraterone costs via insurance 
Generic abiraterone
Abiraterone reduced cost?
