Rytary coverage by Insurance

[texasL]

This post is the follow up post about my dad's tremors. He is 83, tried 3 different medications without any luck. Monday had an appointment with neuro and was prescribed Rytary. So, his pharmacy calls and says that Medicare does not cover this medication. We had to fill out a special form for a group called Rytary Patient Support program, which I guess works with Medicare or any other insurance to get this paid. I looked at some posts here, and assuming because this medication is new, some insurance companies do not want to cover it. If you need help with payment for this medication, there is a website Myrytary.com. There is a form you can fill out. I do not know how long it takes, or if this group will even help my dad get this medication. Also wanted to find out how good this medication is, if it helped you, and what side effects are. My dad could not tolerate sinemet (chest/rib pain) and as far as I understand this is a similar medication. Will hope for the best.

[Bailey_Texas]

Does your father have any other symptoms.

It is the same medication with a different way to make the levadopa last longer. It has the same active ingredients (Carbidopa Levadopa) so if he can not take sinemet he will most likely not be able to take Rytary.

Good RX has coupons for Rytary.

[Juliegrace]

I tried Rytary and it was not a good experience for me although there are several people on HU that it works for. It is a very expensive version of a timed release carbidopa/levodopa. I was lucky, my doctor gave me samples to try so I didn't have to waste $$$ on something that didn't work for me.

[fiberpam]

I have not been put on rotary. I have not had issues with other drugs...I am lucky that way.

[Hidden]

It really is the same as sinemet. There is a short acting sinemet and a long acting sinemet. Rotary is really just taking the 2 and mixing them together but in a way that is supposed to give you better coverage of off times. Lots of us take a long acting and a short acting at the same time. Obviously the short will wear off 1st. The difference with Rytary is that it's a capsule that has tons of tiny little beads in it, some that are short acting and some that are long. So it's supposed to spread out your on times better.

[Hidden]

I went back and re read your post. I am perplexed as to why a doctor would move your Dad to Rytary if he could not tolerate carbidopa/levodopa (brand name sinemet) when those are the exact ingredients in Rytary. The purpose of Rytary both when the FDA approved it and now is to shorten off times and make peoples medication schedule a little better in those that take a lot of sinemet. Maybe I'm wrong, I'm not a doctor, but I can't see any reason to expect that the side effects wouldn't be the same. I think it is supposed to make it so your overall dose for the day is slightly lower but enough to counteract all the side effects?

"The approval of Rytary was based on the Rytary clinical program that evaluated patients with early (levodopa-naive) to advanced Parkinson's disease. Results from the APEX-PD (Study 1) study of 381 levodopa-naive patients met the study's primary efficacy endpoint of mean change from baseline in the sum of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part II (activities of daily living) score and UPDRS Part III (motor skills) score vs. placebo at Week 30. In ADVANCE-PD (Study 2), treatment with Rytary decreased the percent of "off" time from 36.9% to 23.8% from baseline vs. immediate-release carbidopa/levodopa (36.05 to 29.8%) during waking hours to end of study."

empr.com/news/fda-approves-...

"The new formulation of carbidopa/levodopa extended release (IPX066/Rytary), is different than its predecessors. It contains special beads designed to dissolve at different rates within the stomach and the intestines. The medication capsule was designed to provide longer lasting benefit for patients with Parkinson’s disease. The randomized study included 393 Parkinson’s disease patients who reported at least of 2.5 hours of “off” time, defined as periods when they felt the medication was not working. The authors aimed to improve the number of hours of “off time” each day for patients randomized to the new extended release formulation (IPX066/Rytary) as compared to the older and standard regular release carbidopa/levodopa"

parkinson.org/blog/whats-ho...

[Hidden]

I hope your Dad gets some relief somehow. Don't forget that you are his best advocate. Doctors can be and are wrong sometimes. Good luck!

[Intrepid200]

Am in USA and my insurance company covers the drug I found Rytary much easier to swallow than others in my case as I hate the taste of all drugs

No negative side effects

Good luck

[Popeye529]

Been taking Rytary for almost a year. Works fine for me.

[rhyspeace12]

We applied to an assistnace fund and got the Rytary quickly. Call 855 421 4608. This is tafscares.org.They will give you case manager. They send you a program card to take to the pharmacy, which i didn't have with me the last time i went to pick up the drug.I get my drugs at CVS. I went in to get the Rytary for the second time, and they didn't have the info in the computer for it to be free, so it was over $200 because he had been prescribed double the amount of the first time. The pharmacy called the tafs copay assistance fund on a Saturday and they straightened it out as i stood there and it was, indeed free. It is a great program.

[etterus in reply to rhyspeace12]

I’m in agreement with you on both Rytary and the Assistance Fund. I have had the assistance for 2 years but I am not approved yet for next year... I am waiting till next year to find out.

[rhyspeace12]

My husband does much better on the Rytary thaa Sinemet or the ER version. It keeps him from having off time. He was taking way too much Sinemet, every hour or two and spent his day worrying that he would run out because his previous neurologist told him he was nuts needing so much.

[rhyspeace12]

I have to reapply for next year and was told to start doing that before the first of the year. If you have any problems, call them, it's easier than filling out on line forms.

I happened to be going through some old papers on what I was paying for Azilect. I only tried it for my husband once to try to help with his "off times." It didn't work and made him dizzy. What I hadn't noticed before was that it said my drug insurance had paid around $1500 for 30 pills and I had paid $30 for my co-pay. That is ridiculous that we are held hostage by the drug companies, no one should have to pay those prices.

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