Hi! My Ibrance prescription has been filled since 2019 by Optum Pharmacy, and I have loved working with them. My health insurance will not be using them anymore. I live in NJ.
My choices are:
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
Procare Pharmacy LLC
Caremed Pharmaceutical Service
Anyone using one of these and have an opinion on them?
THANKS!
Carol
Hi AvidBooklover,
I have used Optum until last winter when they shipped 2 consecutive refills with no freezing-weather-packaging. Since then I have used Walgreens Specialty after visually confirming how it was packaged from their warehouse to them.
As they are in the same town as i am 'I pick it up' to eliminate more unnecessary exposure as my insurance contacted the manufacturer and was told they could not guarantee 'product stability outside the required temperature range' and fed-x was allowed to let it sit in their vehicles overnight if they wanted to.
The Insurance customer rep was also surprised Walgreens Specialty was cheaper as well! All-in-all I have been quite happy with the Walgreens Specialty experience.
Good Hunting!
Thank you for getting back to me. Surprising on Optum as I have enough freezer bags from them to fill a freezer! The package last week arrived with two as well, and temps here were in single digits! But good to know to question the packaging and stay on top of it.
How do you contact them?
Hi Praising,
The Specialty Pharmacy: I was able to visit and talked to.
The Insurance Co: I called and asked for a customer rep, who was amazing to work with!
She ended up calling the Manufacturer's Advocate rep to get an official response to the temperature question.
Looking forward to spring outdoors!
My suggestion is you call the shipper and get their word that they will ship it to remain at room temperature both in cold and hot weather. Mine is shipped overnight air with early morning delivery. After many orders sitting in hot UPS truck all day and having to be replaced. It is now shipped to leave Tampa on the last flight here and then delivered early the next morning . Please be sure that when it is shipped in HOT weather that it is well protected from the ice. Call Pfizer and ask for instructions how to safely ship Ibrance and ask for a letter stating exactly what temperatures it can safely be in and for how long . You will need to record the conversation and inform Pfizer that it is being recorded. It is not easy to get them to ship correctly. The box says the temperatures it should be in and until you get in writing something different from the manufacturer that is the only information you have. You will need anything different in writing. Remember Ibrance is a strong drug with ingredients that the manufacturer recommends it remain at room temperature. Hope this helps you. Blessings, Hannah
One other thing. They now put bubble wrap or peanuts around it and say that keeps it a room temperature. I suggest you take the Ibrance out and put in back in the hot sun or your car in the hot sun. Cold weather do the same thing or you could put it in the fridge. This would let you know if your medicine is shipped safely. I wish the FDA would require testing on all drugs going forward to determine how hot or cold it can go . Many drugs are probably safe in any weather but unfortunately we don't know . Blessings, Hannah
don't even get me started I had CVS Specialty with ibrance and it rolled around all day in a cooler in a UPS truck in Phoenix during the summer. I complained and they gave my call to the pharmacist on duty who said it was ok at 150 degrees or something, I tried having it delivered to our local CVS but getting it from the pharmacist at the counter there was also a "fluster cluck'
All those cute little coolers and ice packs from my year on Ibrance - no one would take them..not recycle and not homeless agencies so we put them in the garbage. It was that or build an igloo I suppose.
Ok done now.😜
Should have said put in wrapping with thermometer.
I'm so sorry your insurance company will not be working with Optum specialty pharmacy any longer. Ours stopped using them too and switched to Express Scripts with the specialty pharmacy called Accredo, which has been fine after some initial issues with getting the prescription back on the co-pay program. I hope that one of those other options will work well for you. Sending hugs and prayers.
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