Good news, mixed news on drug treatments and prices

The MPN Research Foundation recently released a video from Barbara Van Husen noting the increasing attention MPN treatment is getting from researchers. The foundation, she notes, has been trying to get scientific researchers to focus on the disease for the past 15 years, and breakthroughs in the past five years have advanced knowledge and led to new drug treatments.

That's the good news.

However, mixed news about the affordability of these new drug treatments came from a National Public Radio spot this morning, which examined how market forces may bring down drug prices in some cases, while putting other drugs beyond the reach of patients in other cases.

Where a drug has a cheaper alternative, insurers have begun to drop the more expensive brand from their list of covered drugs. When the price of Advair peaked, for example, companies covered only its rival, Symbicort, which was nearly half the price of Advair. In the past year, that move drove the price of both medications down significantly.

In other cases, again in an effort to hold the line on drug costs, insurers simply refuse to pay for newly developed drugs such as teleprevir and boceprevir used to treat Hepatitis C. These drugs can cost $1,000 per dose or $84,000 per year.

This news is important for those with MPNs, where promising new drugs are expensive and insurance companies decline to pay for them. Jakafi (ruxolitinib) is currently not covered by my HMO, and hydroxyurea and anagrelide require a higher co-pay.

If money is no object for you, you're all set.

But for those of us with limited means, here are some strategies:

1. Check with your insurance company or pharmacy to find out how much ET drugs cost and what your co-pays will be.

2. Different pharmacies charge different prices for drugs, so switching to a pharmacy that has a lower base price than your current one might be an option. Goodrx.com can help you with your search, but be sure to confirm with any given pharmacy that the info is up-to-date. (You might also tell your current pharmacy that you can get your meds cheaper elsewhere; sometimes your current place will match the price.)

3. If you purchase insurance through a marketplace, you may be able to shop for an insurer that will offer better coverage for the drugs you are taking or might be prescribed in the future (though this could affect your premium costs, so you have to determine if a rise in premiums is worth the savings on the drug).

4. If you're locked into your insurance coverage, discuss your cost burden with your physician. Trying the cheaper drug first might be a good option.

Be well!

Related: Jakafi, oral chemo, and drug costs

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