Medicare won't pay

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LB@notmine.com - 27 Feb 2005 08:35 GMT

My lady has received Topotecan for Ovarian in the past via the five
visits to OC for infusions and then two weeks off, then do it again.
Unfortunately that stopped working.
After trying other meds, including Doxil (very bad reaction to Doxil) we

were able to visit a prominent OC in NY who said they had had some
success by infusing Topotecan via a continuous pump (obviously through a

port). Initially two weeks on then one week off and start again.
My lady's OC says medicare will not pay and my lady has had to come up
with $550 each week when the pump is reload.
Does anyone know anything about getting Medicare to pay or sources that
might know? The pump maker has not been any help.

TIA

LB

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J - 27 Feb 2005 10:49 GMT

> My lady has received Topotecan for Ovarian in the past via the five
> visits to OC for infusions and then two weeks off, then do it again.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> Does anyone know anything about getting Medicare to pay or sources that
> might know? The pump maker has not been any help.

http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_hycamtin.pdf (this is an adobe acrobat
file - 16 pages, shows indications, time to progression and more)
Hycamtin is indicated for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the ovary
after failure of initial or subsequent chemotherapy.

You could try the ACOR mail list http://www.acor.org/mailing.html?l=o
but I'd be asking different questions, like what makes anyone think it will
work - achieve a lasting remission (delivered a different way), if it didn't
before. And/or have you exhausted all options now...
(maybe Steph will comment).
And perhaps that's part of medicare's reasoning (cost/benefit). Is it
overall less (or more) expensive with the pump?
You don't mention the reason that they gave for refusing.
J

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LB@notmine.com - 27 Feb 2005 14:19 GMT

> > My lady has received Topotecan for Ovarian in the past via the five
> > visits to OC for infusions and then two weeks off, then do it again.
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> You don't mention the reason that they gave for refusing.
> J

Thank you for the reply. I do not know why they refused, but think it is
because this is a different way to infuse.

LB

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