Trelegy Ellipta or Trimbo?

[gemlady12]

I live in US but I think they call Trelegy Ellipta by the name of Trimbo in UK. I heard some encouraging news about it and was wondering if anyone tried it. They are a triple action And believe that they replace spiriva and Symbicort.

As you know, the COPD drugs are very expensive in my country. I get most of them from All Day Chemist based in India. But they don’t carry the latest drugs. I get my Spiriva generic and Symbicort generic from them. Sometimes I worry about the effectiveness of their drugs I would love to be able to replace spiriva and symbicort

So getting back to paragraph one, LOL, has anyone tried it and has it been effective?

[lsherald53]

i have replaced spiriva and symbicort with trelegy ellipta. i really like it because it seems to help me and i only have to take it once a day. downside for me is the cost. through medicare they pay $1500, my copay is $96 for 3 month supply. i have ordered it through canada and pay $335.00 for 3 months.

[gemlady12 in reply to lsherald53]

I’m glad to hear the good results. I got a 90 day sample from my doc yesterday but didn’t try it yet as I am having bad bronchitis and difficulty in breathing. I’m hoping it will help lung function.

I’m on Medicare too and have to change my plan by 12/7. Found a plan, Aetna, that will only cost me $1000 a year for this med. I hope it works as it will be lots cheaper than spiriva and symbicort which I have been buying from All Day Chemist based in India. The drugs are a fraction of the cost there, much less than Canada they seem to have good reputation. Heard lots of good reviews. Been using him for about five years, but they don’t have the latest drugs. Certainly not the Trelegy.

[sabalo in reply to gemlady12]

I would NEVER take a serious drug made in India or China.

[sabalo in reply to sabalo]

I agree!

[jackdup in reply to lsherald53]

Curious why you would order from Canada which costs $335 for 3 months when, if I understand correctly, your portion through Medicare is only $96 for 3 months?

[gemlady12 in reply to jackdup]

I was wondering the same thing!

[lsherald53 in reply to jackdup]

i would go into the donut hole

[jackdup in reply to lsherald53]

What? Not sure what you mean.

[gemlady12 in reply to jackdup]

Oh, Jackdup, I guess you don't live in the U.S. The "donut hole" is when you have reached a certain maximum limit the insurance companies allow. This practice is quite untasty!

[jackdup in reply to gemlady12]

No not in the US but agree it is quite untasty.

[lsherald53 in reply to jackdup]

once i and the plan spends $3750, i would go into coverage gap stage 3 which i would pay 35% of the manufacturer's price. this is called the donut hole and you stay in this stage till your out of pocket costs reach $5000.

[jackdup in reply to lsherald53]

Curious what happens after that? Quite a system.

[gemlady12 in reply to jackdup]

I guess then you just shoot yourself. LOL. This never happened to me because I refuse to be fleeced and have been getting my drugs from all day chemist in India at a fraction of the price. Most of the drugs they sell are manufactured in India or Turkey: Sometimes Belgium. The problem is they do not yet have the latest drugs for our conditions. I had been using spiriva and Symbicort generics. They don’t have the one I’m currently getting which is Trelegy.

[sabalo in reply to gemlady12]

I have been taking Trelegy for the past year. I love it. I was on Spiriva and Symbacort. I live in the USA and get into the doughnut hole by the end of February. I still get a decent % discount after that until I reach $5,000. spent. I have been severe COPD for almost 20 years now.

[Jocopd in reply to jackdup]

After you pay the $5k then the plan kicks back in and pays most of the cost- like 95%. So almost 0 to you at that point - however most people don't get there till late in the year.

[gemlady12 in reply to lsherald53]

Highway robbery isn’t it? Maybe when our politicians stop taking money from the lobbyists, something could be done about these exorbitant drug prices. What we need is a single-payer system or Medicare for all.

[jackdup in reply to gemlady12]

That really is a terrible system. People should not be suffering or going without treatment because of money, or lack thereof.

[gemlady12 in reply to jackdup]

Sad. Our politicians, Who are supposed to be working for their citizens, are really working to enrich themselves by making deals with lobbyists from insurance and drug companies and of course big corporations that are controlling our government. Most people would like to have access to affordable health care, but they do all they can to brainwash a certain percentage of people into thinking that having universal healthcare is communism. Of course these people are mostly fans of “ you know who” and vote against their own interests. I hope I’m not going to start a war here. There’s such terrible devisiveness now on our country.

[jackdup in reply to gemlady12]

I think the issue of politicians seems to be a problem in more countries than the US but yes I agree with your last couple of sentences. I don’t live in the US but like many people do follow your politics.

[gemlady12 in reply to jackdup]

True. We could be living in and a number of war torn countries with dictators Such as Syria, Yemen, to name a few. Or from central American countries where people are fleeing from the drug cartels and gangs. It’s too bad their governments can’t be fixed so Ithey dont have to run to the US where they’re not welcome and treated really badly.

[gemlady12 in reply to lsherald53]

Are you going to look into changing your plan before the Dec 7 deadline? I’m not sure if you have an HMO or medicare with a supplement. I pay for Supplement plan F which is costly but doesnt have any copays, don’t need referrals and can choose any doctor, even out of state. Problem is I have to pay extra for a drug plan. So until recently I’ve been getting most of my expense of drugs from the Indian pharmacy. But I just found a plan, Aetna, that will only cost $1000 for the entire year to cover my new drug, Trelegy Ellipta.

It seems a bit more costly, but in the end it saves me money. I’m lucky because I’m grandfathered into that plan F which is very hard to get now.

. It also depends on where you live. My insurance increased quite a bit when I moved from North Carolina to Las Vegas. I’m not sure where you live.

I hope Trelegy works better Because I’m quite worried about my Lung function dropping 15 pts from 54% to 39% in a month. Of course he took the test when I could hardly breathe from this infection in my lungs. That’s when the doctor gave me the Trelegy.

Good luck and keep in touch.

[lsherald53 in reply to gemlady12]

i'm keeping what i have which is united healthcare through aarp, plan f. only copay is on my tier 3 meds on their rx plan. everything else is no copay. i am paying monthly for this, but with this disease, i don't know what to expect. i live in cincinnati. good luck to you and Merry Christmas!

[gemlady12 in reply to lsherald53]

Glad To hear you have a plan F. I understand that if you ever decide to go with another type of plan that you cannot buy it back again. Keep me posted about how you’re doing with the Trelegy. I’m helping my lung function goes back up when I get over this bronchitis. Merry Christmas to you too

[gemlady12]

I totally agree. There are few good men amongst them, either party! i’m tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. That’s like voting for all evils. They forget that they are working for us. Who else has the best benefits, the most perks and money? But I’m grateful to be an American as there are other places in the world where it would be horrific to live.

[betmaxbaby]

2nd day on it, not sure yet--- Will let u know

[katdalt]

Trelegy is the best COPD medication I have ever used. I was in the clinical trial 2 years ago and was so happy when the FDA approved it. My lung function has risen from 33 percent to 40 percent

[gemlady12 in reply to katdalt]

Thx. That’s real encouraging news. I just got samples from my doctor the day I came down with bronchitis so I haven’t been able to give it a fair assessment. It’s now been two weeks and finally I’m feeling better.

My one concern and question to you is this: I am worried that I may not be using the inhaler device correctly, as I can feel and taste the powder on the back of my tongue and throat. Is this normal? Do you have any suggestions? I would really appreciate some feedback.

[Jensmom in reply to katdalt]

I asked my pulmonologist abt it and she said it was the same as me taking my spiriva, my advice and I guess albuterol all at the same time. I'm not too sure about that. What is the difference if you don't mind, just looking for a little advice and don't know anyone who's taken it. I really want to. Thank you

Jensmom

[Minkywhire]

Find this a tad strange. I asked my consultant for Trimbow and he advised Trelegy Ellipta which he thought was better. If you’re correct however and they are one and the same only labelled differently in UK and US I need to ask myself if I should place my trust in this man???😳☺️😂

[sabalo]

I say that all the time. We need more than 2 parties. How can a Congressman who is paid $175,000. per year "work" for 2 years and then go home with $ one million+ in his offshore bank account

[sueedw]

I was given Trimbow a couple of months ago and have felt so much better, for me it works brilliantly.

[shadow4me]

They are two different inhalers we have both in the UK

[jackdup]

Of course I have no first hand experience with your system so any comments are based on things I have read or heard from others, so they often are half truths as at least some have a bias. One concern is people being denied insurance coverage because they have a preexisting condition. I think Obamacare attempted to address that or perhaps they did? Another is the cost of medical insurance and again my limited understanding is that a plan that really covers you for most things is very very expensive and far out of the reach of the average middle class family let alone lower income. I also see documentaries or news articles on how you must see a doctor approved by your HMO or insurance company and then you often can’t get expensive tests your doctor may want or recommend as there is very specific criteria that must be met.

Is your ability to spend 25-45 minutes something your insurance company allows or is it a policy of your doctor? I would suspect the doctor would have to be compensated for the extra time he allows you and suspect that would be reimbursed by the insurance company but again really have no idea.

I understand what you are talking about with most doctors getting you in and out as quickly as possible. Here I think they generally get a set amount for an office visit whether they spend 5 minutes or 15 minutes, so the incentive is to get you in and out as quickly as possible. Of course if they perform some procedure that would increase the amount they receive. I am very fortunate as my doctor always makes sure he has answered all of my questions before he leaves the room and always asks if there is anything else when it appears we are done but that definitely is not the norm around here and in fact some doctors have a policy they will only address one issue in an office visit, which is ridiculous.