Expense

[Jo Ann]

Thanks for all who have contributed to this site - there's very helpful information in there, plus I guess misery loves company. But I haven't seen any posts yet about the expense of the medications. This is my second relapse and I am amazed at the cost of the Vancocin - this may be a result of a loophole in my insurance. Has anyone else experienced pocketbook pain?

[Nancy1]

Jo Ann,
Welcome to the group that no one wants to join. If you haven't already, be sure to read All Users Read This First, Dr. Borody's article, Dr. McDonald's article, and all section in FAQ that interest you.

To answer your question, yes, many of us have had a difficult time paying for vanco. I know it is hugely expensive. I am lucky that my insurance covered all but $15/month of it, so I have no personal experience in dealing with its cost. I hope others who have will answer your question. What I remember from past posts on this subject is that if you call the manufacturer (ViroPharma), they have some kind of low cost program. Also, if you can get your pharmacist to make up vanco pills from the IV powder (I think I have that right), that is cheaper. See what your pharmacist says. You might try searching this site to see if you can find past posts about how to handle vanco's cost. Good luck.

[sks001]

Jo Ann -

Like you, I had C-Diff twice, but did not have any medical or prescription drug coverage. Besides the cost of 2 nine-day hospital stays, the Vancocin cost was about $2,000 for second round (1st was Flagyl).

Have you called your insurance company to find out why your Rx wasn't fully covered less co-pay? How much did they charge you for how many pills? Your doctor's office can call your insurance company and explain that you need the Vancocin and can't take the cheaper Flagyl, and many times they will reimburse you.

ViroPharma is very secret about their Patient Assistance Program. There is absolutely nothing on their web site about it. Guess they don't want people to know about it that need the med, but can't afford it. You have to call their headquarters and ask about the program. They will not tell you anything about it, i.e., income requirements, assets, etc. All they will do is send info to your doctor and then your doctor will have to tell you what their program entails.

What a difference from GlaxoSmithKline and other pharmaceutical companies that explains just about everything on the several different assistance programs they have for the many, many different medicines they produce.

There's several interesting articles (one in the New York Times) about a generic Vancocin could be on the market earlier (in late 2008 instead of 2010) that ViroPharma is not happy with the FDA. Of course, some of the generic versions of Vancocin and other really expensive meds are not that much less than the original.

The following is a great web site. It gives the toll-free 800 numbers for every pharmaceutical company and the name of the program. They even have a section on NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR RARE DISORDERS (NORD) with a list of specialty meds.

http://www.rxassist.org/pap-info/default.cfm

Perhaps if a Site Administrator reads this post they will place this web site under the proper topic and the ViroPharma Patient Assistance Program toll free number 1-866-694-2547 as the ViroPharma web site only gives their long-distance number.

Sandy
Southeast Michigan

[Bobbie]

Sandy,
Thx. for info. on Viropharma #. Lauren copied it in FAQ-Aid to Meds. It was already posted there, however, (see earlier post in that category) but this will draw people's attention to it again.

When I took Vancocin (l993-l997 & again in l999), it was $l,000.00 a month. I only paid $l6.00 co-pay. Lord knows what I would have to pay now!

[Lauren]

Oops...

[sks001]

Bobbie -

Thanks for posting the ViroPharma number again in FAQ's. I must have missed it when I first surfed the site. Thanks for also posting the url for every pharmaceutical company's toll-free numbers for their assistance programs.

When I had to buy Vancocin, I didn't have time to find out about a program as I needed it right away that day w/o insurance. The average price at 3 major drug stores this year is (gasp):

125 mg = $17.00 per capsule
250 mg = $29.00 per capsule

Sandy
Southeast Michigan

[laurabluize]

When I found out how much the vanco was going to cost, I almost fell on the floor. I told the Dr that I have no insurance. It was going to cost almost $800 for the tablet form. He was so helpful. He called over to the pharmacist in another hospital and had him make an oral solution. It's basically the IV form, and they mix it up and it works just the same. It lasts for about 2 weeks. It was $80 for 14 days. Most Dr's won't tell you that kind of important information. Always ask what what alternatives there are. I hope this will help others.

[palmtree5572]

We just got our itemized bill from my 12 day hospital stay and the Vancomycin was $71 per pill! (125 mg.) I took it 4 times daily...that's a staggering cost. Two weeks ago I finished a 10 day prescription and we payed $18 per pill. I am just finishing a 14 day round of Alinia and that was about $600. I am beginning another 56 doses of Vancomycin in a week so this is very helpful to us. (we're private pay) Thank you, thank you for all the info here.

[palmtree5572]

We went to our local pharmacist and asked if he could mix up the liquid solution of the Vancomycin. Where we were spending $80 per day for it this is costing us $38 every 4 days! (We have to go back every 4 days because of its short shelf life.) This has been such a help to us. My original prescription was going to cost $2000! Thank you again to the suggestions and help here!