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Trapped In A Box, No Longer
Last night, I had one of my longest cries in a long time. On Monday of this week, I called my doctor because my rheumatoid arthritis continues to worsen, even though two weeks ago we upped all of my medications and added a one-month Prednisone boost. One of the worst feelings in the world--even though I know that these meds often ...Knock Me Down, Pick Me Up
After a couple of relatively symptom-free weeks, my rhuematoid arthritis is once again knocking me down. Today I didn't get out of bed until around 1:00 p.m. Even then, I did't much get past first gear...although I am proud to say that even as my day passed by in slow-motion, I was able to make it into the kitchen to ...Cheers To Quality Of Life!
"Quality of Life (QoL) is a phrase used to refer to an individual’s total wellbeing. This includes all emotional, social, and physical aspects of the individual’s life. However, when the phrase is used in reference to medicine and healthcare as Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), it refers to how the individual’s wellbeing may be impacted over time by a ...How My Pain And Disability Improved My Life
Nine years ago tomorrow--on the day that I turned 30--I submitted a letter of resignation to my manager. My roaring twenties were over, and I could not be happier. By all practical purposes, the previous decade had been filled with many different successes: I graduated from Columbia, I graduated from Harvard, and only a few years later, I was earning ...Through The Looking Glass
I used to think that accepting the reality of my rheumatoid arthritis meant that I would be giving in to this disease. As long as I grabbed on to the life that I wanted (thus avoiding what was obviously becoming the life that I had), I figured that I would be okay. For a while this actually seemed to work, and ...My Own Personal Serenity Prayer
I had big plans for this morning. First, I was supposed to wake up early to take my dog Alva to the vet, so that we could check her blood sugar levels. Then, later in the morning we were going to do some shopping, followed by lunch at whatever restaurant happened to be in the vicinity of wherever we found ...The Importance Of Having Confidence In Our Decisions
Many readers know that, for almost the past year, I have been treating my rheumatoid arthritis without medications. Some people have interpreted this as me saying that I'm not doing anything for my RA, something which could not be further from the truth. During this past year, I attended physical therapy on a 2x or 3x weekly basis, I successfully incorporated ...Cleanup In Aisle 7, Please
Yesterday morning, I started my Friday in my usual way: I left my house at 10:00 am, in order to go to physical therapy. (I rarely ever make commitments before lunchtime, but I will make an exception for PT.) During my session, we did some of our regular therapies: heat, ultrasound, and electrotherapy. I was a little surprised that toward the ...What Is A Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare?
This is a rheumatoid arthritis flare: January 16, 2011 I woke up crying today. It used to be that I could alleviate some of the pain by staying still…but today, the exact opposite seems to hold true. It hurts to sit down. It hurts to stand up. It hurts to lay down. Pressing my forearms down on a tabletop, placing all of my weight ...Rheumatoid Arthritis And Physical Therapy
"Physical therapists, also known as physiotherapists, comprehensively assess RA patients in an ongoing manner. The evaluation of each patient includes an examination of affected joint flexibility, bony alignment/joint deformity, muscle strength, endurance, mobility, ambulatory status, and the ability to perform activities of daily living. It can be a delicate balance to enhance mobility and strength without fatiguing the patient or ...
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Copyright © Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy, 2009-2013. Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy™. 60-Second Guide to RA™. Real Profiles of RA™. All rights reserved.
Wow! That is expensive. I hope at some point the cost begins to come down. Geezz we are getting priced out of treatment!
Very expensive. Exciting sounding drug though!
Being at risk of sound populist, seems we have a new drug for the economical elites. For the most part of world’s population this would suppose from 2 to 4 months salary dedicated to a monthly treatment.
It’s unacceptable.
This could be a big money maker for Pfizer because Xeljanz would compete with the injectable and infusion biologics for RA. The FDA has approved Xeljanz for those who have a poor response to methotrexate. Being a new drug however, most RA docs would probably recommend their patients first try Enbrel, Humira or Remicade – some of the oldest biologics used to treat RA, with a longer track record of side effects.
But some RA patients might find a pill more convenient than an injectable or infused biologic, and thus opt for Xeljanz. Of course, another factor in deciding which RA drug to take would be insurance coverage. More and more insurers are classifying expensive drugs as “Tier IV” drugs. Instead of a set co-pay, co-insurance is charged – from 20 to 30% or more of the actual cost of the drug or several hundred dollars a month.
I wonder how Pfizer arrived at the monthly cost of Xeljanz as $2,055 for a month supply, a tad lower than the cost of injectable biologics like Humira or Enbrel. Drug companies tell us they need to recoup the cost of research and development, but cuz of patent protection they have years to recoup the cost, which some say is $800 million to bring a new drug to market. And since Xeljanz is a pill form, shouldn’t it be cheaper to produce than injectable biologics that are made from live cells, sold in prefilled syringes that require refrigeration?
Specialty drugs like biologics for RA, are a huge and lucrative market. Humira, Enbrel and Remicade ranked #7, 8 and 9 in global sales. In 2011, Humira had $7.3 BILLION in global sales. (1) With 3 out of 4 prescriptions in the US filled for generics , specialty drugs are where the profit is for pharmaceutical companies. For those of us w/autoimmune conditions treated w/biologics, we are at the mercy of whatever price these drug companies charge for these expensive biologics that have no alternative of a generic version, a biosimilar.
There have been efforts however to cap the out-of-pocket costs at affordable levels for expensive biologics, by prohibiting the practice of “specialty tiers.” New York has banned the use of specialty tiers and other states have introduced similar legislation. To learn about this issue – the barrier to expensive drugs that specialty tiers present, see the ARTHRITIS FOUNDATIONS’ position statement (2) and please share it w/others.
1. http://www.imshealth.com/deployedfiles/ims/Global/Content/Corporate/Press%20Room/Top-Line%20Market%20Data%20&%20Trends/Top_20_Global_Products.pdf
2. http://www.arthritis.org/position-statatement-excessive-cost-sharing/
It is amazing how these companies play and make money with us- I had to use all these drugs to finally after 4 years of pain and inflammation and live in hell, i decided change to protocol antibiotic of course Doct said it won help I will live in more pain ….. My answer at least I will not leave scare to get cancer , about pain I was living with it anyways, AP was the only treatment that help and send me to remission after 2.5 years every 3 months I saw my CCP ESR AND RF going from 12XXX to normal.
Liive with RA for almost 7 years was not easy, I lost too many things personally and professionally – why doctors discourage people to take and easy and cheap treatment ?……..We know the answer, We are just numbers……. unfortunately.