Neupogen

kknapik

I am starting Neupogen the week after next with IVF #5. I have my final follow up with Dr. Braverman on Tuesday so I don't know what else he will be recommending but he already advised me that Neupogen was one of the last things to try as IvIg did nothing for me. Right now we are in a Level 1 appeal with my insurance and I found out today that it can take up to 21 days for a decision, although we doubt it will be covered. Either way, I need to get a few vials so I can start with stims. Does anyone have any suggestions where the cheapest place to get it from is? I checked with my local CVS and it was $350 vial which for me will give me 4 doses. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks!

kellyrn9956

Sorry, lurking in, but I might be able to answer your question. I am a cancer nurse, and Neupogen is used in cancer treatment to help combat the low white counts that come with chemo, and it is extremely expensive. $350 per vial sounds pretty good to me. I'm not sure if you'll find it much cheaper. There are financial assistance programs for Neupogen through the pharmaceutical company Amgen, but they cover patients only with cancer diagnoses, and are pretty strict with their financial criteria. There are also specialty pharmacies that you can use (like with fertility drugs) and they will search for financial assistance for you, but again, you'd be unlikely to qualify for any since you're using it for an off-label use. Does your clinic participate in any clinical trials with Neupogen?

Unfortunately, I do think that you are right about doubting that your insurance will cover it. We have a hard time getting it covered even for cancer patients because of its cost.

kknapik

Thanks for your response. I actually have a diagnosis of neutropenia and that is one of the criteria for use so that is why we put it through our insurance. What I have learned from some of the other girls using it strictly for IVF is that if your insurance company requires a prior auth and you are not using it for a covered medical condition, it will not be covered. I unfortunately do not qualify for any type of assistance programs as they are for people without insurance and those who are below a certain income threshold. I did do some calling around, and for anyone else using Neupogen, Walgreen's has it for $249.99 per 300mcg/ml vial with the use of their club card which costs $20 a year. Still expensive but it is $100 cheaper a vial and that can add up.