Renvela

[watercube]

Greetings,

Right now, I am taking 7 pills of Renvela per day. I wonder if starting dialysis would help to drop the dose a little bit. It is a tier3 medication, expensive to me.

[Paul]

If you have only just started dialysis, the high dose they have given you may be due to existing phosphate in your body, if so they may drop the dose later. However the drug is not meant for this purpose, it is meant to stop new phosphate entering your blood, so I am guessing the reason you have this high dose is that you eat too much phosphate. Try adjusting your diet to foods lower in phosphate. Then, after your next blood test, they may reduce your dosage.

[Simon Dog]

There are numerous different binders.   It might be worth asking your MD what others (s)he would consider acceptable, and compare prices.

Ask your MD to prescribe the maximum allowed by guidelines per day, and verbally tell you how many you really should take.   You will likely find that this reduces your cost.

[Paul]

There are numerous different binders.   It might be worth asking your MD what others (s)he would consider acceptable, and compare prices.

I never think of prices as I don't have to pay (I'm British), but the binder I take is Calcium Carbonate. A cheap chemical, used as a flour additive in baking. It is also the limescale you see round taps. I'm guessing that some brands of this will be expensive, but there must be generic brands that are cheap. So as Simon said, ask your MD and see if a cheaper option will work for you.

[Paul]

PS to the above: Google tell me that there is a generic version of renvela, but it does not mention price.

[GA_DAWG]

Contact the manufacturer. Sometimes they have programs to help with the cost.

[kickingandscreaming]

The generic is just as costly as the brand name.

[lulu836]

There are several binders available over the counter.  They all are the same the same thing,   Phoslo generic is calcium acetate and is $33 for 90. 














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[cattlekid]

This is the copay card for Renvela http://www.renvalue.com/

It pays for up to $300 for a copay for Renvela.  I used it when I was on dialysis as the amount I had to pay for Renvela was obscene.

Renassist is the program that was copay assistance for people who needed direct financial assistance.  That program is closed now that there is generic Renvela....https://www.renassist.com/

Contact the manufacturer. Sometimes they have programs to help with the cost.

[Simon Dog]

I received an interesting notice regarding Sensipar.   The manufacturer was advising my copay assist card was cancelled because there is now a generic, and MA law prohibits a vendor from offering copay assist on a name brand of a generic exists.   It's all irrelevant since Sensipar was added to thr bundle, but none the less interesting.

They all di the sane thie same thing

Yes, but using different biochemical mechanisms.  My MD went from Calcium Acetate->Renvela->Auryxia until he found one that got my phosphorous (corrected) number into a nice range.  He also skipped over one when the pharmacist warned him my copay would be $1000/month.

[lulu836]

Potassium or phosphorus?  Nvm.........wrong drug.  Sry.

[Simon Dog]

Thanks.   That uses up my mistake quota for the day.  Correction made.

[Paul]

The generic is just as costly as the brand name.

Shop elsewhere, I just did a Google search and found generic a lot cheaper.

Although the one I take is a hell of a lot cheaper still.

[iolaire]

I'm still on sensipar after the transplant six months ago. Last week I received the sensipar discount card in the mail.

[lulu836]

Thanks.   That uses up my mistake quota for the day.  Correction made.

My mistake quota is way bigger than your mistake quota.  LOL

[watercube]

Thanks for all valuable information!

[sahern]

I take six with each meal so for me that is twelve a day as I only eat two meals a day. When I went to get it refilled this time they were going to refill it with a generic version.  It was going to be $150.00 and that is with insurance.  If I went with the brand name I could use the discount card and it was only $5.00.  Had to wait a week for it to come in but it was well worth it.

[Whamo]

It's disturbing they can charge so much for calcium.  Our drug system is corrupt to the core.

[cattlekid]

I've been following quite a few independent pharmacists on Twitter and my eyes have really been opened to the games that are played between drug manufacturers, insurers and the worst of the lot, pharmacy benefit managers.  Pharmacy benefit managers are nothing but scourges on society.  They do not exist except to transfer wealth to themselves.  They are the source of nastiness like step therapy and "specialty" pharmacy and requirements to use god-awful mail order instead of being able to establish a relationship to a pharmacist.

I am on a high deductible health plan and the amount of money I have to pay at the beginning of the year for my prescriptions is astronomical.  I had to play all sorts of games this past winter in order to get the cost of my immunosuppressives to something that my budget could absorb.

For 2019, I have vowed no more.  I am going to contact a local independent pharmacy and ask what they charge for my particular immunosuppressives for cash, no insurance.  A straight deal between what they can buy the meds for from their wholesalers to what they would charge me for them to cover their overhead and add their desired profit.  If it works out to be cheaper than what I would get them for by using "insurance", I'll go that route.   I am trying to wage my own little war against the PBM beast.  I'm gunning for you, CVS.

It's disturbing they can charge so much for calcium.  Our drug system is corrupt to the core.

[GA_DAWG]

The trouble is most in the medical field will charge you MORE without insurance. Cash or not.












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[cattlekid]

That's why you have to find independents who are not part of a larger system, whether you are talking doctors or pharmacies.  I have a feeling that direct primary care is going to be the wave of the future...

https://www.dpcare.org/

The trouble is most in the medical field will charge you MORE without insurance. Cash or not.












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