Generic Renvela

[Speedy1wrc]

Has anyone been able to locate a source for generic Renvela? As of April 16th Impax began marketing it through Global Pharmaceuticals, however I can't find out if has hit shelves anywhere yet. The price of Renvela has gone through the roof and I need to find the generic so I can get my phosphorus down.

It is   NDC:0115-1494-27

[Rerun]

Have not heard of that but I will ask next time I order.  I've just ordered some .... If the doctor's office got it right this time.

         

[obsidianom]

Has anyone been able to locate a source for generic Renvela? As of April 16th Impax began marketing it through Global Pharmaceuticals, however I can't find out if has hit shelves anywhere yet. The price of Renvela has gone through the roof and I need to find the generic so I can get my phosphorus down.

It is   NDC:0115-1494-27

According to my medical website that I use to prescribe drugs, Epocrates, it is available in generic form NOW , and for example my insurance , BCBS has it listed as a Tier 1 or low copay drug. You should be able to get a pharmacy to get it ordered if they dont already have it.

[Speedy1wrc]

I asked my pharmacist last night and she had no idea. Now that I have the NDC number I'll ask again.

[Zach]

Here is the label for the generic form of Renvela --Sevelamer Carbonate:
http://rxdruglabels.com/lib/images-rx/sevelamer-carbonate/sevelamer-04.jpg

[Speedy1wrc]

I found information that it should have been available as of 4/16. The only question is where? I didn't get a chance to call my pharmacy with the NDC yesterday, I will try today.

[frankswife]

Don't know about generic but we only pay $5 for Renvela with a printable coupon I found on the internet. Just google Renvela coupon. I think it works with or without insurance.

[Speedy1wrc]

I have the Renvalue card. I covers up to $150 in prescription cost. That used to cover a 3 month supply at 4 pills per day. The cost however rose last month such that the card only covered a 1 month supply. Which is to say the cost of 1 month was less than $150. I believe the co pay for a 3 month supply was over $270. This month the cost for 1 month at 4 pills per day is $209, so I ended up with  a $59 co pay. That's how much the price is rising. On to of that I really need 5 pills per day or even possibly 6.

Three months used to be less than $150 now it's over $600.

[nursey66]

I went right to look for that coupon , found and printed, then as usual , it says "Patient's filling this RX who have part or all  paid with a State or Federal Program including Medicare Part D , are not elligible "  !!    Funny thing , when I read the info in the beginning, it said "good for people with, without ins, or Part D"   Maybe you have to go to a new pharmacy and tell them you have NO ins  ??  But, they would surely run your numbers on line and find out if you have part D. The last time we filled this it was over 300 dollar copay with part D.  That new binder that is out is the same thing, no coupons if you are on part D. !! Don't they know your part D goes away pretty quickly with these binders & then your in the big Donut. Our Part D has all the binders up in the highest category for co-pays. I hope generic renvela will be cheaper, but then you can't get the 50% off the drug company throws in when in the Donut hole . I guess they get you every way they can.

[Speedy1wrc]

True,so very true. What's it called? The Affordable Care Act?

There "may" be a possible loophole. If you have your part D through a third party, it may not show up part D. I have had some coupons for other prescriptions rejected and some go through. The Renvalue card seems to be one that works for me. The social worker at my center was amazed when I told her it worked because she said for most it doesn't.

It seems odd too that they have a coupon for a drug that is used primarily by dialysis patients who invenitably, or there is a pretty good chance they will have part D.

[Speedy1wrc]

I went to Walmart tonight to check on the price and availability of the generic Renvela.

Surprisingly the price isn't much different. List price for a bottle of 270 Renvela is about $1200. For the generic same quantity it is about $1000. However the Renvalue card isnwroth $150 off your prescription cost so it's not not necessarily a good buy.

Being in the gap insurance pays 73% so for the generic it would be about $270. The Renvela would be $324, but then you subtract $150 and it's $174 so roughly $100 cheaper for the brand name.

I was told by the pharmacist that the generic price won't go down till a few manufacturers start producing it. Only then will their be competition and a lower price.

The obscene part is that the price has gone up over 400% in the last 4 months.

[nursey66]

My hubby just talked to his Neph last week about the generic, and the Dr said there was a problem with the drug release and it won't be out until early next year, it was reported.Apparently it was pulled by the FDA because they
 put a different ingredient in it, according to his Neph. We did get a Formulary update a few months ago ,from our part D stating the generic would be added in April, so I called them and asked what was up.? They told me it was not released yet.My hubby needs 300 Renvela for 30 days, his last RX was over 1200 dollars for 1 month !! He says he isn't going to take them any more, too much $$$ and they don't work well. His last phospherous was 6.9 !!  So. for this month we have them, don't know what will happen when they are gone. Besides the 10 renvela, he also takes 3 generic Phoslo a day at 67 dollars a month. He is very strict with his diet ,too. Why are binders so darn expensive ?? They have been around a long time and lots of people use them.

[Speedy1wrc]

Your last sentence tells the story. Lot's of people NEED them.

The other reason for the staggering increase in price is that they are padding the coffers before the generics hit the market. I say it's price gouging!

The holdup might explain what my pharmacist saw when she was looking it up. She looked up Renvela and a generic. It didn't appear. When I gave her the NDC # she found it but that it was listed as being different than Renvela. The extra ingredient might be the culprit. She though she could get it, but then saw the price.