1900% Drug Price Increase

[jesse_the_k]

I’ve been hypothyroid for a long time, and happily, simple hypothyroidism is treatable. I’ve been taking thyroid meds–levothyroxine (T4) and lyothyronine (T3) .

Up until yesterday, hypothyroidism has been inexpensive to treat. Lyothyronine was synthesized in the 1950s, and was first approved by the US Food & Drug Administration in 1954.

Thursday I saw my endocrinologist and she suggested changing my T3 dosage. But my pharmacy had bad news: they didn’t have access to any generic lyothyronine. My insurance won’t pay for a proprietary (brand-name) drug unless the physician explicitly requests that in the prescription. So, I ask the endo to write another script. Then MyGuy went to pick it up and

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STICKER SHOCK

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Generic lyothyronine: $34.24
Cytomel (lyothyronine from Pfizer): $654.40.

Yes, that’s a twenty-fold increase. I haven’t been able to find out why: it could be because the drug was manufactured in Puerto Rico; it could be because [horrible news thing I don’t know details of] changed the tax incentives for generic drug producers; it could be the phase of the moon.

Two pieces of good news: I can afford to pay for it, and I can finally spell lyothyronine.

Comments

[legionseagle]

That is the sort of news which makes me ashamed to be an intellectual property lawyer. I hope the situation eases soon.

[worlds_of_smoke]

Jesus Christ on a Triscuit! ISTG, the pharmaceutical companies have a fucking racket.

[isis]

Hply sjot! That's really ridiculous.

[capri0mni]

Day-um!

[petra]

There are few things in my life that make my jaw drop as hard as Rx drug prices, because I am both lucky in much of my life and unlucky in health.

[grrlpup]

holy shit! D:

[bibliofile]

HOLY CRAP.

[j00j]

good grief.

[davidgillon]

Eek! Is that inability to pay hands on the generic just a temporary thing, or known to be permanent?

One thing's for sure, if the generic can be manufactured for $35, then Pfizer can do it for the same.

[sasha_feather]

My Enbrel went up a lot too - it's brand name and there is no generic AFAIK. But I have to use the drug company's card to buy it now. The copay was 10 dollars, and now it's 2000 dollars for one month (four treatments). So, the maker sends me a pre-paid card which i have to activate and use, and jump thru hoops etc.

[wendelah1]

There is a nationwide shortage of levothyroxine but lyothyronine should be available. Is there only one pharmacy in your town? I'd be looking around for another supplier. https://www.goodrx.com/cytomel?c=

[killing_rose]

in further horrifying news, it's not just the US. The NHS spent a decent amount of the past year declaring they'd no longer cover the drug at all. (This was rescinded.) Because the price had gone up.

I use a small local pharmacy (because they do things like deliver my drugs, and will actually deliver my pain medication, and have been known to drop off my meds after hours if i was a total dingbat and ran out of meds before i called them. They'll also give me enough to tide me over while arguing with insurance or docs for the refill. This last round, my Symbicort, which I forgot to cancel the refill [i hoard meds after i hit my out of pocket max for the year, and even if i took it as prescribed we easily have half a year's supply; we also have 10 boxes of Voltaren and four open tubes], clocked in at 200, but they found a coupon to get it to zero.), but i've had to go to chain pharmacies for a couple of meds.

(Actually, as a question, have you tried voltaren? I can't remember how much chronic pain you have in your muscles/skeleton, and lords know i may very well have asked this before.)

[lilacsigil]

(Over from fucking meds) Holy crap! I'm on T4 which works well for me, but when I was on T3 it was $17/month, too cheap to even be subsidised for someone without a healthcare or pension card. I just checked the price now, and it's gone up...to $20. Pfizer are still fucking evil all over the world, though.

[laceblade]

Fuck pharmaceutical companies.

Here from Fing Meds

[devilc]

Christ on a cracker!

(I take armor thyroid because T4 alone is not enough for me, and I want the calcitonin for bone health.)