 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / February 2004Cost of Lupron
My shot last week (for 4 months) was $335.00 my share out of pocket. How does this compare with others. My previous shot (1 month) for which I have not yet been billed, dropped my following PSA, last week, to 1.7 from 29.x Any obervations? I had EBR almost 10 years ago with a PSA of under 10 at the time and undectable with a DRE but did show cancer in the biopsy. comments? My last one was $12 out of pocket, but this year it will be $15. I think a 1-month drop to 1.7 from 29 is within acceptable standards. My Lupron began before my PSA got to 1.0, so it dropped to below 0.1 within the first month. After your radiation ten years ago, did you have undetectable PSA until now?  SignatureProstate Cancer Survivor (so far), not a doctor PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 PSA .1 .1 .1 .3 .4 .8 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .3 .2 .2 .2 .3 Erection 05/12/2003 @ 48 HTbegins 07/21/2003 @ 48 PSA .1 Lupron 7/03, 8/03, 12/03 > My shot last week (for 4 months) was $335.00 my share out of pocket. > How does this compare with others. My previous shot (1 month) for [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > cancer in the biopsy. > comments? >My last one was $12 out of pocket, but this year it will be $15. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >After your radiation ten years ago, did you have undetectable PSA until now? No, there has been a slow but steady rise on the PSA,, especially the last three years, not doubling, but significant rises, At the time of the EBR, the radiologist, said, "One thing I can guarantee you, you won't die of Prostate Cancer" Guess I've lived longer than he expected me to! da Well, if you're just now going on Lupron, you still have plenty of life left. Maybe you'll die of something else after all :-) > >My last one was $12 out of pocket, but this year it will be $15. > > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Guess I've lived longer than he expected me to! > da > My shot last week (for 4 months) was $335.00 my share out of pocket. > How does this compare with others. My previous shot (1 month) for [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > cancer in the biopsy. > comments? My first 4 month shot was in December and Medicare was billed $2400.00 by my Uro. Medicare approved and paid $1800 and my supplemental paid $360. Since my Dr agrees to accept Medicare I don't expect any out of pocket. I wonder how much the Dr actually pays the Drug Co for the Lupron? The Drs time was less than 5 minutes. > My first 4 month shot was in December and Medicare was billed $2400.00 by my > Uro. Medicare approved and paid $1800 and my supplemental paid $360. Since > my Dr agrees to accept Medicare I don't expect any out of pocket. I wonder > how much the Dr actually pays the Drug Co for the Lupron? The Drs time was > less than 5 minutes. As to the doctor's mark up on a Lupron shot, I have not been on Lupron since Oct. 2000, but in 1999 my insurance paid the doctor $675 for a 30 day lupron shot. I think that gave him a small mark up. In mid 1999, my insurance would no longer allow the doctor to give me the shot from his stock, but instead furnished the injection every month through their pharmacy division. Each month they would FedEx the injection to his office. I asked him if that upset him as to his profits, and he said it did not make that much difference. One of the points was that he was not getting paid until about 90 days after he would inject me. The new procedure meant he did not have an out of pocket expense as to his inventory of Lupron (which he kept in a safe!). Dale P Denver, CO Just found my bill. Last shot was billed at $1700 for a 4-month dosage. > My shot last week (for 4 months) was $335.00 my share out of pocket. > How does this compare with others. My previous shot (1 month) for [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > cancer in the biopsy. > comments? YIPES!! I know that a couple of years ago, a hormone shot (probably Lupron) was $1300 Cdn. Ron's cousin had it for a while and his private insurance covered it. The Government Health Plan doesn't. So at $1.60 for a US dollar at the time.......I will let you convert that one. But roughly $850 US compared to your $1700. Cheers......Heather > Just found my bill. Last shot was billed at $1700 for a 4-month dosage. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > cancer in the biopsy. > > comments? To satisfy my curiosity, I looked at an online Canadian pharmacy where the costs are advertised to be significantly lower than in the US. Their prices are 7.5mg $450 US, 22.5mg $1098US. Here's an interesting article about Abbott Labs, the sole US mfr. of lupron, while it discusses a drug for a different disease, it does offer insight to their pricing policy. Prosecutors Probe Abbott AIDS Drug Hike Sun Feb 8, 10:34 PM CHICAGO - Investigators in Illinois and New York are trying to determine if Abbott Laboratories broke the law when it increased the cost of a commonly used AIDS medicine by nearly 400 percent. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office is investigating whether the North Chicago-based drug maker engaged in deceptive or unfair pricing practices when it raised the cost of Norvir, a treatment for the HIV virus, the Chicago Tribune reported in Sunday's editions. Abbott increased the wholesale price of Norvir in December to $8.57 a day, or $257.10 a month, from $1.75 a day, or $52.50 for a 30-day supply, according to company records. "Norvir is not like a hay fever medication that people take to lessen symptoms to be more comfortable," Madigan told the newspaper. "It is a drug they take to survive. This investigation is aimed at determining the real reason for the price increase and whether it violates Illinois law." New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is trying to determine if the company violated antitrust law, Abbott confirmed. A spokesman for Spitzer's office would neither confirm nor deny an investigation. Both investigations center on whether the increase was designed to make AIDS drug cocktails cost-prohibitive and steer patients to Abbott's newer drug, Kaletra, which is more expensive and has a longer patent life. Abbott said Norvir was priced lower than its rivals for years and denies any wrongdoing. "Many companies have known the value of Norvir to their drugs and priced their drugs at a premium despite this," said Abbott spokeswoman Melissa Brotz. "Competitors need to price their drugs based on their clinical value. Perhaps those concerned about the cost of therapy should look at the highest cost component of HIV regimens." Prescriptions for some AIDS drugs cost several thousand dollars a year. Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. > YIPES!! I know that a couple of years ago, a hormone shot (probably > Lupron) was $1300 Cdn. Ron's cousin had it for a while and his private [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > > cancer in the biopsy. > > > comments? FWIW, Tom. The 'significantly lower prices' advertised on these Canadian Pharmacy websites are WAY higher than what we Canadians pay for all of the prescription drugs. In fact, if those are lower than what you Americans pay, then you are being royally ripped off by the drug companies!! My 2 cents worth....Heather > To satisfy my curiosity, I looked at an online Canadian pharmacy where the > costs are advertised to be significantly lower than in the US. > Their prices are 7.5mg $450 US, 22.5mg $1098US. > > Here's an interesting article about Abbott Labs, the sole US mfr. of lupron, while it discusses a drug for a different disease, it does offer insight to their pricing policy. > Prosecutors Probe Abbott AIDS Drug Hike > > Sun Feb 8, 10:34 PM > > CHICAGO - Investigators in Illinois and New York are trying to > determine if Abbott Laboratories broke the law when it increased the cost of a commonly used AIDS medicine by nearly 400 percent. I didn't pay that much. My co pay was $12.00. > YIPES!! I know that a couple of years ago, a hormone shot (probably > Lupron) was $1300 Cdn. Ron's cousin had it for a while and his private [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > > cancer in the biopsy. > > > comments? > I didn't pay that much. My co pay was $12.00. Office copay is $10.00 that covered the Zometa infusion and the Lupron shot last month. Lori Oh, I forgot about the office co pay. That was another $10. SignatureProstate Cancer Survivor (so far), not a doctor PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 PSA .1 .1 .1 .3 .4 .8 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .3 .2 .2 .2 .3 Erection 05/12/2003 @ 48 HTbegins 07/21/2003 @ 48 PSA .1 Lupron 7/03, 8/03, 12/03 > > > I didn't pay that much. My co pay was $12.00. > > > Office copay is $10.00 that covered the Zometa infusion and the Lupron shot > last month. > Lori > My shot last week (for 4 months) was $335.00 my share out of pocket. > How does this compare with others. My previous shot (1 month) for [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > cancer in the biopsy. > comments? There is a class action lawsuit currently underway alleging that Abbot Labs and a bunch of other co-conspirators engaged in illegal pricing activities on sales of Lupron. The law firm running the suit has a web page explaining the allegations and soliciting plaintiffs at: http://www.lupronlaw.com/AboutLawsuit.asp My impression of the lawyers who create these class action lawsuits has been formed by John Grisham's novel _King of Torts_, which paints an extremely uncomplimentary picture of the law firms. On the other hand, my impression of the pharmaceutical companies who manipulate prices in order to gouge people who depend on their drugs to survive is even worse. Alan, If this goes the route of most class action suits, the worms who evolved into firms will wind up with millions and the so called plaintiffs with less than the price of a cup of coffee. Tom > > My shot last week (for 4 months) was $335.00 my share out of pocket. > > How does this compare with others. My previous shot (1 month) for [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > companies who manipulate prices in order to gouge people who > depend on their drugs to survive is even worse. Absolutely true Tom. The best we can hope for from it is that the pharmas are forced to lower the prices for the next poor dying patients who need it. I'm sure that those of us who paid big bucks won't get much back. Alan > Alan, > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > companies who manipulate prices in order to gouge people who > > depend on their drugs to survive is even worse. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.