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Freethinker65

(11,192 posts)
3. Yep. Biologics are expensive.
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 06:10 PM
Feb 2019

I have been avoiding them for years (and some doctors have been very persistent in asking me to try biologics) and so far have been lucky managing my chronic autoimmune issues with much lesser priced non-biologics. I am on my spouse's health insurance, but as he is seven years older than me, I will need some private insurance to bridge into Medicare after he retires. Without the ACA, I will probably be unable to afford any insurance and will be forced to pay out of pocket or go without. There is no way I could afford a drug with a list price like Stelara, though I have heard many drug manufacturers are willing to offer financial assistance by reducing the costs? I did not know that was unavailable for Medicare patients.

I know there is a window of time in which pharmaceutical companies must recoup their research and development cost as well as make huge profits (some going back for R & D future costs) before their patent is up and lesser priced generics can enter the market. It is a business and the companies are in it for the money.

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This is so terrible. like other third world countries, we are becoming like other third world CharleyDog Feb 2019 #1
The saddest part is that many 'third world countries' have a better COLGATE4 Feb 2019 #10
Charley - the saddest part is that in many "third world countriets" not only COLGATE4 Mar 2019 #21
The GOP wants to bankrupt and kill us, in that order. BigmanPigman Feb 2019 #2
Yep. Biologics are expensive. Freethinker65 Feb 2019 #3
So what is BIG Pharma's excuse for the ever increasing price of democratisphere Feb 2019 #5
Oh. I am not fooled. I worked for a bit in a university oncology drug discovery lab. Freethinker65 Feb 2019 #6
Don't forget the insane costs of wall to wall 24/7/365 advertising democratisphere Feb 2019 #7
Until our political legislators quit taking campaign contributions aka bribes democratisphere Feb 2019 #4
I thought their CPAs deducted all their development costs at tax time. Enoki33 Feb 2019 #8
They do. But all the TV marketing of the newer drugs COLGATE4 Feb 2019 #9
Stelara for me is $12,000 year WITH drug plan elfin Feb 2019 #11
I'm glad to hear that you're getting good results from the Stelara. COLGATE4 Feb 2019 #12
that must be why my GI struggles to keep me on Remicade demtenjeep Feb 2019 #13
I'd strongly advise you to try to stick it out on Remicade COLGATE4 Feb 2019 #14
My doc has diagnosed that Remicade has failed for me and Stelara is on deck demtenjeep Mar 2019 #15
tool around this website. demtenjeep Mar 2019 #16
https://www.stelarainfo.com/crohns-disease/starting-stelara/janssen-carepath demtenjeep Mar 2019 #17
Unfortunately this offer is not available to COLGATE4 Mar 2019 #18
oh demtenjeep Mar 2019 #19
Yep. Medicare rules. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Other folks COLGATE4 Mar 2019 #20
okay, the one fund that has help for Crohns seems to be at TAF. moriah Mar 2019 #23
Many thanks for the information and suggestions. Both COLGATE4 Mar 2019 #24
Gonna check if any of the copay assistance organizations has a Crohns fund for you... moriah Mar 2019 #22
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