hi! My father was just switched from xtandi to 1000 mg of abiratone to be used with prednisone. His abiratone is costing out to 600$ a month so he isn’t picking up his prescription. Wondering if anyone has found some ways to get around this high cost? Not sure of the details as to why his doc wants to switch.
thank you!
This is not advice, and you will need to research this, but one way men have found to save $ on abi is to take 1 pill (250mg) with certain foods rather than 4 pills (1000mg) on an empty stomach. Doing this results in a less predictable absorption of the med, but clinical trials have been done to confirm relative safety and effectiveness.
This means your father could, in theory, drop $600 to fill the scrip but get four months out of it rather than one. Or he could find out his out-of-pocket cost for a 250mg scrip rather than a 1000mg scrip and have his doc change the scrip to 250mg if he is on board with the plan. Some risk may be involved either way, so again: do more research!
interesting points to consider. Thank you!
I don't understand all of this much. If you can get his script for 186 dollars at good Rx than it looks great.
I would take it morning.
I am just afraid that simply switching from Xtandi to Zytiga plus Prednisone will not be enough as we all know that ones the Xtandi fails Zytiga will probably also fail soon.
It is worth a try but I would be very pessimistic and explore other possibilities like chemotherapy soon.
Hope he has a competent MO?
can you clarify what an MO is? I know his doc was out for personal medical problems and my father isn’t very happy with this new doc who now has double the patients and half the time to explain everything.
Based on your experience, what does treatment regarding chemo look like from here? Is it a pill?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
MO = Medical Oncologist
Just one link about chemotherapy from Fred Saad. My first oncologist said that Dr Fred Saad is good.
"Patients with mHSPC receive 6 cycles of the same regimen except that prednisone is optional."
Ok I think I understand.
found on good Rx for 186$ magical! Do you know how dramatically their prices change from month to month?
nj & Medicare. Not sure of his plan. It’s like pulling teeth with this guy
look up university of Chicago study re the one pill with low-fat breakfast.
Get a list of his drugs including abi and go to Medicare.gov to find the cheapest annual costs , Part d plan. If he has part d. Open enrollment is now
Or study the Medicare advantage plans if he is on those.
Now is the time for Medicare open enrollment until Dec.7th....so if you need to switch plans....research it now.
is there a plan that you found that is favorable towards pc treatment?
Medicare comes in 2 flavors. Regular and Advantage Programs. With regular, you may be on the hook for 20% of costs...and drug costs vary depending on Part D coverage for drugs you chose. You can cover the gap with AARP Supplemental Insurance Plans, but these have to be purchased within 24 months of qualifying for Medicare since a cancer diagnosis is active and they can now refuse to cover him for supplement al insurance (don't you love that catch 22!). I fell into that category. Best part of regular....go to any Dr. at any location (including cancer centers) that accepts Medicare.With Advantage....you get all details of plan with their deductibles and drug costs....so review what is offered with your various Advantage Plans. You are limited to the doctors that are part of that plan unless you can get referrals to outside doctors (very tough to do).
I used a United Healthcare agent to walk me through the various options in my region as it gets complex. Do the review now...as it is open enrollment season until 12/7/22. But you need to understand what the proposed plan of treatment is under what he has now to make informed choices.
thank you so much for this advice. Will work towards this.
My husband's last one month prescription for 1000 mg was $109.00 with AARP United Health Care supplement and Part D drug plan using Walgreens as preferred provider.
We are in NJ ( Monmouth county) - We found that the Abiraterone is cheapest at Hackensack Meridian Specialty Pharmacy. between $250 and $140 Didnt seem to matter what Medicare Part D we had. I suggest contacting Memorial Sloan Kettering - they have facilities in NJ.
he is on xtandi now and only pays $120. His doc wants to switch him to Alberitone and prednisone. His psa rose from .08 in June to 1.8 beginning of October.
His switch is due to PC becoming resistant to the effects of the drug. I would ask the treatment plan be explained.
thank you! That’s what I was thinking too based off of things I’ve read. He should probably start this new med immediately right?
Again, given that this is due to the PC becoming resistant (hormone resistant) the doctor should explain why he thinks this drug will be a better option.
ok, I know he is going to doc tmrw. I’ll ask him to get more clarity. His main doctor is out with health issues so he’s been frustrated with temp doc who received all the other docs patients and is not as clear with him due to high volume of workload probably.
he is the best! Thanks for the info!
Check out scriptco.com for price of generic Abiraterone Acetate. Also consider them for price of generic Prednisone if it has been prescribed.
thank you!
$170 @ Costco without insurance.
I wonder if this is location based? I called our local Costco and they were quoting like 4K $
I was checking the price on the co website. I was quoted the same price at random Costcos in NYC and LA areas, as well as here in Baltimore. Did you ask for Zytiga or generic Abiraterone?
I asked for the generic but maybe there was a miscommunication.
Did you ask for the price using Part D insurance? Unbelievably, we have found some drugs are much cheaper when purchased at Costco without Part D insurance.
Could you please fill out your profile information if you have a chance? It would be helpful for others to understand the situation and to help you better.
ok filled out a bit for now. Will try to fill in more specifically over the next few days! Thanks for the feedback.
check out Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. He marks up every drug by only fifteen percent.
costplusdrugs.com/medicatio... Under $200 for a month.
wow! Thank you so much!
ScriptCo.com has the cheapest price. $260 for 360 250 MG tablets. There is a $140 annual membership.This is where I get my abiraterone from.
thank you for this resource!
I'm paying $100 per month with United Healthcare aarp Medicare Advantage. I wouldn't know if that is offered in NJ, so look at all the plans.You can call the plan to determine what you will be paying for each Rx.
Your dad is lucky to have you looking out!
thanks so much. My father picked up his meds today.
try mark Cuban cost plus. Very easy to use or actually GoodRx is great too. Codling us about 140-160 with no insurance
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