Current Events > A medication for eczema costs $50,000/year

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've had terrible eczema and the doctor just told me that a new eczema medication called Dupixent is very effective, but costs $50,000/year. This is the most recent article I can find

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-regeneron-fda-eczema-idUSKBN16Z25Z
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look for a manufacturer's coupon. there's an asthma medication i take that would cost me like $200 / refill but with the coupon my co-pay is $10.

i have eczema, too. what lotion(s) do you use? i've had great success with Eucerin Advanced Repair cream.
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Giant_Aspirin posted...

look for a manufacturer's coupon. there's an asthma medication i take that would cost me like $200 / refill but with the coupon my co-pay is $10.

i have eczema, too. what lotion(s) do you use? i've had great success with Eucerin Advanced Repair cream.

I've used Eucerin, right now I am using Cerave.
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Giant_Aspirin posted...

look for a manufacturer's coupon. there's an asthma medication i take that would cost me like $200 / refill but with the coupon my co-pay is $10.

i have eczema, too. what lotion(s) do you use? i've had great success with Eucerin Advanced Repair cream.

Here's the site for their co-pay card. I have never tried a program like this, but have seen them advertised. Might be worth a look into, TC.

https://www.dupixent.com/atopicdermatitis/patient-assistance-program/copay-card
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Vol2tex posted...

I've used Eucerin, right now I am using Cerave.

which Eucerin? i find the heavy cream is much better than the regular lotion. and i find the advanced repair cream to be better than the regular heavy cream.

i tried Cerave but i didn't like how it felt like it left a 'film' on my skin.
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I had some eczema and cerave itch cream over the counter worked wonders.

Master_Bass posted...

Giant_Aspirin posted...

look for a manufacturer's coupon. there's an asthma medication i take that would cost me like $200 / refill but with the coupon my co-pay is $10.

i have eczema, too. what lotion(s) do you use? i've had great success with Eucerin Advanced Repair cream.

Here's the site for their co-pay card. I have never tried a program like this, but have seen them advertised. Might be worth a look into, TC.

https://www.dupixent.com/atopicdermatitis/patient-assistance-program/copay-card

yes this. you basically register with the manufacturer and they give you a coupon. the pharmacy i use (CVS) just tied it to my account so i don't need to bring it with me each time.

its basically a way for the manufacturer to track who uses the medication, for how long, etc. but it saves me $190/month so i dont mind
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When my dad had lung cancer, he took a pill that was $10k a pop

It was also an experimental drug and the drug company paid for it...but they really liked letting us know show much it was

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oh and when i have flare ups that get particularly bad i use Dermarest Eczema lotion:

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/dermarest-eczema-medicated-lotion-fragrance-free/ID=prod6067951-product
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Yeah, I have psoriasis on my scalp. The ONLY thing that I've ever found to be effective is Enstilar. The cost is about $1200 for one spray can (60g). That's WITH coupons. Without it's closer to $1500.

I don't know how long one can is supposed to last. I only use it once my scalp is literally unbearable, because I can't afford to let the two "sample" cans my derma gave me run out. He only sees skin cancer patients these days so I can't even go beg him for more.

I've seen things saying one can should last at least four days. LMAO. I've had mine for something like four years.

If someone needed a can every week it'd be 60k+ a year.


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My girlfriend used Dupixent for a year. She was lucky that her insurance covered some of it and also that her doctor found her a coupon to use for it. It worked incredibly well.

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Master_Bass posted...

Giant_Aspirin posted...

look for a manufacturer's coupon. there's an asthma medication i take that would cost me like $200 / refill but with the coupon my co-pay is $10.

i have eczema, too. what lotion(s) do you use? i've had great success with Eucerin Advanced Repair cream.

Here's the site for their co-pay card. I have never tried a program like this, but have seen them advertised. Might be worth a look into, TC.

https://www.dupixent.com/atopicdermatitis/patient-assistance-program/copay-card

Thanks so much!

Giant_Aspirin posted...

Vol2tex posted...

I've used Eucerin, right now I am using Cerave.

which Eucerin? i find the heavy cream is much better than the regular lotion. and i find the advanced repair cream to be better than the regular heavy cream.

i tried Cerave but i didn't like how it felt like it left a 'film' on my skin.

I was using the regular lotion
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metallica846 posted...

Having psoriasis sucks too for medication. Hopefully in the coming years it comes down, but still hasn't after 10 years unfortunately....

i have psoriasis, but i was told i lucked out and my case isn't that bad. coworker of mine has to go to the doctor 3 times a week to treat hers.
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i dont have eczema but i was diagnoses with dermatitis. they gave me a corticol steroid.
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The endless stream of brand names in this topic makes me a bit sad. The marketing/advertising is real, I guess.
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Sonic Cannon posted...

The endless stream of brand names in this topic makes me a bit sad. The marketing/advertising is real, I guess.

There are no generics for a shit ton of medications. Advertising has nothing to do with it. You either get it from the source or you don't get it.

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Yeah my doctor's have been trying to get me dupixent for over a year, insurance doesn't want to cover it. If you have severe eczema lotions and creams only help so much.

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metallica846 posted...

pauIie posted...

metallica846 posted...

Having psoriasis sucks too for medication. Hopefully in the coming years it comes down, but still hasn't after 10 years unfortunately....

i have psoriasis, but i was told i lucked out and my case isn't that bad. coworker of mine has to go to the doctor 3 times a week to treat hers.

It's a motherfucker of a disease. Mine can get REALLLLLLLY bad. Like 75% coverage sometimes, all over my face, scalp fully covered. A good tracker could find me from how much of my skin falls off everywhere. I told a girl who liked me I had bad psoriasis, when I took my shirt off she never spoke to me again.

That happens every few years then goes down to just spots in certain places and is fine for me. Now that I don't drink booze, it has really cleared up.

that sounds insane. mine is on my head and shows as really bad dandruff. i have 2 medications that are just 10 bucks each and last me a few months. apply my spray and drops diligently and it goes away for a while.
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runuts27 posted...

Yeah my doctor's have been trying to get me dupixent for over a year, insurance doesn't want to cover it. If you have severe eczema lotions and creams only help so much.

My sister's got so bad that she had to have skin-cancer level light treatments. Sounds extreme, but she was in a living hell and nothing else worked. She's mostly cleared up these days.

The fucked up thing, is that it was overall, cheaper than any of the mountain of medications she had tried.

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JlM posted...

runuts27 posted...

Yeah my doctor's have been trying to get me dupixent for over a year, insurance doesn't want to cover it. If you have severe eczema lotions and creams only help so much.

My sister's got so bad that she had to have skin-cancer level light treatments. Sounds extreme, but she was in a living hell and nothing else worked. She's mostly cleared up these days.

The fucked up thing, is that it was overall, cheaper than any of the mountain of medications she had tried.

The doctor mentioned the light treatment as well, but that potential for skin cancer would be heightened.
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JlM posted...

Sonic Cannon posted...

The endless stream of brand names in this topic makes me a bit sad. The marketing/advertising is real, I guess.

There are no generics for a shit ton of medications. Advertising has nothing to do with it. You either get it from the source or you don't get it.

Generic name is still preferable though, since it's consistent across different countries and allows the reader to know what drug class it is at a glance.

On topic: Dupilimab dopesn't really appear to justify its enormous price tag. It works vs placebo at least, but there's only been one clinical trial that compares it to any kind of other treatment (topical corticosteroids), which had only 31 participants and was powered only to assess adverse events (not benefit) in the first 29 days of treatment.
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Motherfucking insurance companies hate to cover topicals.
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hockeybub89 posted...

Motherfucking insurance companies hate to cover topicals.

I'm assuming you mean biologics, and there's good reason for this - they're damn expensive. Even in places with public coverage there are eligibility criteria that typically require a particular severity of disease after all other alternatives have been tried.
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Sonic Cannon posted...

Generic name is still preferable though, since it's consistent across different countries and allows the reader to know what drug class it is at a glance.

On topic: Dupilimab dopesn't really appear to justify its enormous price tag. It works vs placebo at least, but there's only been one clinical trial that compares it to any kind of other treatment (topical corticosteroids), which had only 31 participants and was powered only to assess adverse events (not benefit) in the first 29 days of treatment.

Sorry. My 'calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate foam' is about $1200 per can.

Now the AVERAGE READER will know what that is at a glance.

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A woman I work with had worn long sleeves year round because her condition was severe and she found no relief from it. She started using something called Emu Oil (Emu Cream?) and had been doing so for a year, it's over the counter and can be ordered easily online, and she said it was life changing for her and it cleared up about 98% of it. She wears short sleeves during the summer now and you really can hardly notice anything on her arms.

Just something I thought i'd toss out there, I know little to nothing about it but it worked very well for her.

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JlM posted...

Sonic Cannon posted...

The endless stream of brand names in this topic makes me a bit sad. The marketing/advertising is real, I guess.

There are no generics for a shit ton of medications. Advertising has nothing to do with it. You either get it from the source or you don't get it.

Generics can take decades before they're allowed. He's also forgetting that people speak in brand names all the time regardless of what they think of generic equivalents.
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has any research been done on diet possibly affecting symptoms?
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https://pics.me.me/anonymous-02-28-15-sat-09-00-34-no-601034522-%3Ebe-me-%3Ehave-super-ashy-skin-2542333.png
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if we all are paying a high price for a medication everyone's getting hosed.
this is why i prefer non-profit. but they gotta have profit ><.
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hockeybub89 posted...

Generics can take decades before they're allowed. He's also forgetting that people speak in brand names all the time regardless of what they think of generic equivalents.

I've got to assume this is a regional thing. Doctors and most patients where I live speak and prescribe in generic names almost all the time.

MabusIncarnate posted...

A woman I work with had worn long sleeves year round because her condition was severe and she found no relief from it. She started using something called Emu Oil (Emu Cream?) and had been doing so for a year, it's over the counter and can be ordered easily online, and she said it was life changing for her and it cleared up about 98% of it. She wears short sleeves during the summer now and you really can hardly notice anything on her arms.

Just something I thought i'd toss out there, I know little to nothing about it but it worked very well for her.

Assuming this is for eczema, emu oil is an oil/emoilient just like any other, and should work ok. Like any similar product, the key is applying it very frequently - 4-6x a day ideally. For psoriasis, moisturisers just prevent flaking and cracking, but won't make the plaques go away.

JlM posted...

Sorry. My 'calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate foam' is about $1200 per can.

Betamethasone + calcipotriol shouldn't be anywhere near that price tag. A different formulation (ointment or gel rather than foam) should be more like $20-50 for a 60g tube, and has the same concentration of both active ingredients.
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Hanky_Bannister posted...

has any research been done on diet possibly affecting symptoms?

https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005203.pub2/full
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005205.pub3/full
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only in america does it cost you more than your net worth to live

imagine being told that you had to pay $50,000 a year in medication to not live in a living hell and that your insurance won't cover it.
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I pay $5 for Humira
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Today I learned that Americans literally have to go couponing for FUCKING MEDICAL CARE

Your country sucks.
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It's a monoclonal antibody drug.

Of course it's expensive.

This isn't just some "chemical" made in a lab. It's a literal antibody that has to be produced by a host organism (usually a bacterium) that is recognizable by the human immune system.

They're expensive as hell to produce, which is why no monoclonal antibody drug is cheap - no matter where you are in the world.

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For those that want to know how "Mab" drugs are made



That's just a slight bit different than mass producing generic chemicals in a chemistry lab.

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DarkRoast posted...

It's a monoclonal antibody drug.

Of course it's expensive.

This isn't just some "chemical" made in a lab. It's a literal antibody that has to be produced by a host organism (usually a bacterium) that is recognizable by the human immune system.

They're expensive as hell to produce, which is why no monoclonal antibody drug is cheap - no matter where you are in the world.

Fun fact: I don't give a shit, going couponing for medical care is ridiculous..
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I had eczema and cured most of it by simply removing the allergen that was causing it.
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Tupacrulez posted...

Fun fact: I don't give a shit, going couponing for medical care is ridiculous..

Your literal only alternative to expensive monoclonal antibody drugs is no drugs at all.

There's no cheap way to make them. Period.

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metallica846 posted...

Tupacrulez posted...

DarkRoast posted...

It's a monoclonal antibody drug.

Of course it's expensive.

This isn't just some "chemical" made in a lab. It's a literal antibody that has to be produced by a host organism (usually a bacterium) that is recognizable by the human immune system.

They're expensive as hell to produce, which is why no monoclonal antibody drug is cheap - no matter where you are in the world.

Fun fact: I don't give a shit, going couponing for medical care is ridiculous..

Hey guys check out this dude who pays full price for everything. What a badass!

Hey look at this dude who can't read!
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