This forum is for the discussion of anything to do with Prostate Cancer. There are only four rules:
No fundraisers, no commercials (although it is OK to recommend choices of treatment or medical people based on your personal research; invitations to participate in third-party surveys are also acceptable, provided there is no compensation to YANA);
No harvesting e-mail addresses for Spam;
No insults or flaming - be polite and respectful at all times and understand that there may be a variety of points of view, all of which may have some validity;
Opinions are OK, but please provide as much factual evidence as possible for any assertions that you are making
Failure to abide by these simple rules will result in the immediate and permanent suspension of your posting privileges.
Since this is an International Forum, please specify your location in your post.
Costs and price changes on Xtandi and Zytiga, and future FDA drugs?
In case you were not aware drugs like those mentioned have raised or variable price tags. When Zytiga first came out is was supposedly around $4,350 per month for these pills (take 4 a day). Well now people are saying the price is up to $7,000-8,000 (retail-cash), and insurances may or may not cover it all. Friend of mine has medicare and Blue Cross Ins., but because of this donut hole between insurance coverages, he is being quoted co-pays of $2,500 by two different sources thus far. Also, was quoted those high prices $7-8K listed above.
I have heard on another forum of Xtandi being as high as $10,000 a month for aka 'super casodex' (sounds like super cash-o-dex). Good we have more drug options for treatments, but these costs are not very user friendly and the insurance companies are being hosed. These newer drugs are playing the competition marketing card, Alpharadin in Europe was considered for $25,000 but after seeing the market, has decided to change it to $50,000+ (I read in a publication mentioning such).
Zytiga can be a good choice and have little side effects for many patients. It can work even if Ketoconazole fails you, even though they both target CYP17, Zytiga is like 10 times as effective. I failed immediately on Keto and did both high dose and low dose and combo dosed with Leukine+estradiol patch and still no effectiveness. Zytiga is currently working pretty well into my early useage and side effects are mostly nill. So, based on the marketing forces, the new drugs are likely to be in the $7-10,000 a month value range or comparatively similar. Hope that is found wrong for our sakes.
I still like DES for PCa, I got 8 years of great results and about no side effects and best yet the cost. No patents and the source I had cost me in total cash outlay (no insurance envolved) $130 a year, delivered too. Amazing that it blew away my ADT3 results which lasted about 2 yrs. prior to using this, and that cost around $13,000 per year and fun side effects that sucked. Not that anybody is cashin on patients.....
