Rituxan cost

Does anyone know the cost of rituxan in the states with no extended medical coverage. In Canada it is 3700.00 a week. Can I do better than that in the states.. I am not sure how they think an average person can pay for this, I know I cant!!

Bev, I thought in Canada that they would cover the cost of the Rituxan? I've seen a lot of posts on this site from people from Canada and England and they all say that there meds are all paid for. Maybe you need to contact some of these people to find out how they get their meds covered. That would be a good start. You could even email them once you find where they have posted.

Good luck to you. Here in the U.S. we are also having our struggles. Right now my meds are covered--but I am not sure when I turn 65 if they will still be covered.

My extended medical wont cover it, some people that work for insurance companies or medical companies have better coverage, but the average company doesn"t All of my regular prescriptions are covered, but not these expensive ones The drug company itself offered me 25% off, or sell my house etc...

Bev, I'm so sorry to hear this. This is really horrible and unfair. This is also happening here in the U.S. I don't know where I will end up when I am 65. All the Republicans want to take away the senior's insurance. This is why I tell people in the U.S. to think before they vote; as we will all be seniors one day. If this keeps happening, how will the drug companies keep in business; a lot of us will not be able to aford their drugs. Their one drug costs about $10,000 a week.

Keep looking for some way to get some help. I will keep you in my prayers.

You could try doing the low dose Rituxan that many do in the UK. Just 100mg per week for 4 weeks. I have no idea what that would cost or if it would be affordable but it has to be better than the cost of the traditional dose.

www.haematologica.org/cgi/content/full/93/6/930

I was told when I had my four treatments in 2004 that the total cost was $60,000. My insurance denied it, but I ended up getting Genentech (the manufacturer) to pay for it. They used to have a program called SPOC that covered the cost. I only had to pay my doctors office for their infusion costs; I can't remember how much that was...a few thousand, I think. I'm in the US.

My hema doctor pushed for coverage at the hospital where I got my treatment. I didn't pay anything for my Rituxan. One of my fellow ITPers was going to to go to Ont for it, but I don't know for sure if she ever did. If I can get it here in NB, I'm sure you can get it in Ont. I think that's where you are, isn't it, Bev?

Another person just posted that Rituxan is covered in Alberta. Shouldn't it also be covered for you, too? Does it matter exactly where you live in Canada?

Dee-Dee, each of our Provinces' have different Health care systems. Until my hema dr. pushed for me to be approved for the Rituxan last year, he only used it for his cancer patients. I don't even know if my treatment was a one-time deal, or if I can get it again if needed. Other than a drop earlier (July-Aug), I have been in the normal range. It was approved out in Alberta long before I could get it here in New Brunswick.

Cindy, I'm glad that you are doing well and that Rituxan is working for you. I just wasn't sure how your health coverage worked in Canada. If you live in on Province, can you travel to another to get the Rituxan? Or, do they go by where you live? Was just wondering how it worked. It's getting really crazy here in the U.S.

I'm not sure if it's legal or allowed to travel from one Province to another to get it. I think if my doctor here got in touch with a doctor in, say, Toronto, then maybe I could travel to Toronto to get it. Our health system isn't the best here, either. The country should all be on one page.

I am in Ottawa and my Hema Dr. is trying but the Rituxan drug company said they would give me 25% of the 3700.00 a week it will cost for me to have it. They told me I could sell my house or my investments...

Are you kidding? Sell your house? I'd go with another treatment. I was in that situation at one point; couldn't afford the treatments my doctor suggested because my co-pay was so high. I ended up sticking with Prednisone (which I hated), just because it was cheap. I had better things to do with my money, like putting kids through college.

Sandy, I agree with you 100%. If it ever comes to selling my house to seek treatment, I will go with the lessor-costing treatment. Because then, you wouldn't even have a "roof" over your head; this could cause a lot of stress--which in turn could make the ITP worse.

I would sell my house for treatment for a family member, don't you think they would want the same for you if it meant the difference between sickness and health? The frustrating thing is that each treatment is a gamble and you could sell your house and it might not work. But if that was the only option I would do it and not regret it. I'm glad you had less expensive treatments available that worked even though they were less desirable.
Erica

I would sell my house if it were a matter of life and death, but I did not consider that to be the case for me with ITP. Counts were low, yes, but I had something cheaper that worked. That's me, that was my choice. I wanted my kids to live in their house, keep their life plans, and not let ITP affect their lives. Goodness, you sell your house for four treatments and two years later you need four more, what else have you got to sell? I kept working through the entire thing just to be able to keep my house, I surely wasn't about to sell it. It all worked out. I lived, my counts are fine now, I still have my house and they all got their educations and are doing great.

If it were one of my children though and it was a matter of life and death, I'd sell my house in a heartbeat. I'm just surprised that the doctors office even suggested that. They should have a payment plan.

As Sandi says.... are you kidding

But I am in England and I don't have to pay a penny for the rituximab. Just carpark fees and we groaned about them. Your story puts our moans into perspective I think. A little wake up call how good we have it in England.

Never mind the crowing Rhiannon, some people in England can't get rituximab as we have to get the okay from the PCT first. So it seems to be somewhat similar to the problem in Canada where some areas will give it and some won't. We call it the postcode lottery.

That's just plain rude! I can't believe anyone would say something like that, let alone a drug company. Hopefully, your doctor can get do something for you. Good luck.

Ann
I am very sorry you (or anyone) thought I was crowing. I was very far from crowing and I hope my post doesn't read as though am crowing at all. That isn't the intention.

Just simply being humbling about the things we moan about in England compared to what others go through or may have to go through to what some of us take for granted. A personal wake up call.

_{I was talking about it from my own perspective and that I have a very easy life in UK and take that far too much for granted 99.9% of the time and it is posts like Cindy has made that reminds me that I do take far too much for granted and forget this when I moan about my personal situations - and by the way, sheffield must be a very good place then because I was given rituximab far easier than IVIG almost as my hemo said the book claims that IVIG lasts but a month and next time I be given nplate most likelly which I believe from what you have said is something you are currently taking? All I know is that I personally have a very easy time in England and often forget that}

The whole world is changing in one way or another for a lot of us: in how we live, work, and our healthcare. We all need to be compassionate for others who are caught up in these world-changing situations. What might be fine for us one day, could be a hardship on another day. This is what we are seeing in our healthcare situation in different parts of the world.

And, a lot of us worry about our children weather they are young adults or still under twenty. We worry about their future and what will happen to them. I just wanted to add this because this is what I read about here in the U.S.; and, it is a little worrisome.

Exactly DeeDee. I take it for granted for what we have in England and what is available to us and yes that is why the post that Cindy made reminded me very much so how much I do take for granted for what we have. It is too easy to moan about prices of anything etc and think about what we don't have and forget the whole world. It is harder to remember and be compassionate about others in other countries who have far less than we.
A useful tip when moaning - is to count our blessings - because there is always someone somewhere more worse off than what we are. We may think life is treating us harshly at this time. But all we have to do is listen to the news and hear of real hard issues that affect people day to day who are in dire poverty.

I didn't consider you "crowing" Rhiannon. However when I read the "we pay nothing" bit from anyone my mind always says "nothing in this world is free" - you are paying for it in some way, shape or form!

I just got the activity summary from my insurance company, they paid 5,700 for the Rituxan each week for the 4 weeks. I am lucky to have very good insurance through my husbands work, we didnt have to pay anything. But, I know that some insurance companies wont pay it. I could never have afforded it.