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Prescription drugs costs : Any advice? (Apriso / Mesalamine)

Mon, June 18, 2018 2:17 PM

I was diagnosed with Crohn's in April 2018 (two months ago).
My GI doctor prescribed me 20 mg of Prednisone daily and Apriso (mesalamine) daily.

The drug combo seems to be working well. My bowel movements have returned to normal. My only current issues are some mild bloating and gurgling in my belly

The cost of Apriso is WAY expensive. I live in the U.S.A. and my health insurance prescription plan doesn't pay for coverage until I spend my own money up to my deductible of $2800.

Apriso costs me $379 for a one month supply. This is after a discount coupon provided by Apriso.

Does anyone have any suggestions for lowering my costs on this drug?

Right now, I'm considering using an online prescription pharmacy from Canada or other country. But, I'm worried about how trustworthy these online pharmarcies are.

dmc17
Joined Jun 18, 2018

Mon, June 25, 2018 9:37 AM

Reply posted for ibdUCandMe.

Thanks for the suggestion. I also had to pay a similar amount of $379 for a one month supply of Apriso (mesalamine). I had insurance from Cigna with a high deductible.

But I switch insurance to BCBS due to moving to a new state.

The good news for me is that my new coverage brings the cost to $85 / month now.

If you haven't already, go to the drug's website and see if they have any discounts, "co-pays" or coupons. Apriso, in my case, had a $100 discount off the monthly amount which reduced it to $379.

Also be sure to double check your pharmacy is in-network. I went to Costco and they misled me to believe that my BCBS insurance coverage only provided the drug at $379. But I called BCBS and they confirmed that Costco is not an in-network pharmacy and the drug actually costs $85 at Walgreens, Publix and just about every other major drugstore in the U.S.

dmc17
Joined Jun 18, 2018

Fri, June 22, 2018 11:21 PM

Reply posted for dmc17.

Maybe try GoodRX and see what kind of prices you get. I am taking Mesalamine DR and my first script cost me $620 out-of-pocket (thanks BCBS!). Thankfully, with GoodRx discount coupon, my refill will coming up will only set me back $370 (which is still expensive but ...).

Maybe there are other less expensive or generic options that might work well for you, also. It may be worth asking your doctor about.

ibdUCandMe
Joined Jun 22, 2018

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