I nearly nearly became a victim of Big Pharma greed.

[calguy]

So about a month ago, I suddenly passed out at a meeting I was attending at a hotel fifty miles from my home. An ambulance was called, and since my heartbeat was around thirty, I was taken to the ER at a local hospital, because the hospital I usually go to was too far away.

After monitoring my heart a few days, it was determined that I was in AFIB or something like that. I received an ablation procedure and was discharged the next day. They put me on two drugs, one of which was the blood thinner Eliquis, because I'm now supposedly at high risk for a stroke. Everything was fine until I found out that Eluquis retails at around $600 for a month's supply, and I'm supposed to take it the rest of my life.

My prescription insurance got the cost down to around $450 a MONTH, but that still would have been financially devastating for me, so I never took the medicine. I made an appointment with a different cardiologist in my local healthcare system, because I can't believe there isn't a cheaper option out there, even though the doctor at the hospital said Eliquis was the only prescription he'd give me.

My first appointment with my new cardiologist was supposed to be this morning, but as luck would have it, I passed out again yesterday while I was getting a haircut, and spent the night in the hospital in our area that I usually go to, so they could monitor my heart rhythm overnight. My new cardiologist saw me at the hospital this morning. He told me he didn't see anything serious enough to have me on blood thinners right now. And if it's determined later that I do, there's much cheaper options on the market.

To make a long story short, I'm home now, feeling fine, and wearing a heart monitor for the next thirty days. He prescribed me one aspirin per day. That's right, instead of it costing me almost $500 a month for the two prescriptions the other hospital said I absolutely had to take, I bought a four-month supply of aspirin for $1.95.

My take after this experience: Some doctors and hospitals are pushing these outrageously over-priced drugs onto patients without regard to the financial hardships they're subjecting their patients to. My condition was treated with other drugs before the new drug Eliquis was promoted with a heavy marketing campaign by Big Pharma. (You've all seen the ads on TV) Always look for other options before going bankrupt on the latest 'miracle' drug the medical profession is shoving down our throats.

[FHRRK]

1. Best of luck

Hope they get your issue worked out early in the New Year.

[calguy]

3. Thanks. Sounds like they will.

I only posted my story to illustrate how Big Pharma is ripping us off. I may end up with a pace maker, but it's doubtful I'll be forced to spend all my savings on over-priced drugs I don't really need.

As a side note, our daughter-in-law is an RN, and she told us we could buy Eliquis from suppliers in Canada for $98 a month. We were planning on exploring that option, but luckily, now we don't.

[Autumn]

7. I get Eliquis from Canada 107 dollars for a 3 month supply.

[calguy]

9. Excellent. That's my point.

Why are we forced to pay exorbitant prices for drugs that are sold in other countries for fractions of what we pay.
Our "for-profit" healthcare system does not serve us well.

[Autumn]

11. Our "for-profit" healthcare system does not serve us at all.

Good luck and if what you end up taking does not control your AFIB do not put off trying Eliquis.

[RandomNumbers]

32. Biden has done a small bit to control drug prices

at least for Medicare recipients.

Imagine what he could do if he actually had a supportive Congress and Supreme Court.

(when I google the topic, most of what comes up is from the .gov websites. Media should be covering this more.)

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/12/14/new-hhs-actions-and-research-highlight-how-president-bidens-administration-lowering-prescription-drug-costs.html

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/what-is-new-biden-plan-reduce-us-drug-prices-2021-11-03/

[Nanjeanne]

25. Could you share info privately. DM me. My husband has multiple myeloma and afib. He

is prescribed eliquis. It’s very expensive particularly in the donut hole. Would be interested in knowing alternative places to get.

[Autumn]

27. Sent you a message with the site and the info.

[TwilightZone]

2. I'm not sure how that's Big Pharma's fault.

If the cardiologist wanted to prescribe something you didn't need, that's on the cardiologist, not the manufacturer.

[calguy]

4. I think they're promoting over-priced drugs

[TwilightZone]

10. Big Pharma still isn't the problem here.

If the cardiologist refuses to consider alternatives, that's still on them, not the manufacturer. Blaming the manufacturer for the cardiologist's inflexibility seems a little misplaced.

They're not forcing the cardiologist to do anything. Some specialists are just more assertive about using drugs to fix problems than others and some stick to the big names. Many physicians will look at other alternatives first. My personal physician considers drugs a last option and always considers options. The myriad specialists I've had to see in the past few years were all of a similar mindset. Obviously, that's not always the case.

If one isn't comfortable with a medical professional, find a different one, as you did in this case.

[calguy]

12. I get your point

[Autumn]

5. Eliquis is the only one I have taken that actually controls my AFIB. I get it from Canada

for 107 dollars for a 3 month supply.

[nini]

6. I ha a fib and take eliquis

I pay $60 a month and I hate that so I understand your pain which is even worse.

However, if you have any irregularity in your heartbeat please follow up and get on something since you’ll be prone to blood clots.

Sounds like your ablation worked thankfully. Best to you and good for your latest doctor.

[calguy]

13. I'll know more after they've monitored my heart for thirty days

He said that from what he saw on my overnight rhythm, it looks like the ablation procedure took care of it. Hopefully he finds out what's causing me to faint occasionally.

[nini]

21. Excellent on the ablation

Hopefully, the fainting mystery will be solved too. That must be scary for you.

[Elessar Zappa]

8. Eliquis is necessary for a lot of people.

You may or may not need it but it’s a good drug. The price is ridiculous, of course. Glad you’re feeling better though!

[msongs]

14. kaiser uses pradaxa which is 35.00 for 3 months. it does not control afib, just blood thinner nt

[usonian]

15. Joe Biden is on your side

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218530415

Older Americans to pay less for some drug treatments as drugmakers penalized for big price jumps

[NewEnglandAutumn]

16. There are generic alternatives for Eliquis

But they are not yet available in the US. It is criminal.

I also would like to point out that some of the more expensive drugs have manufacturer coupons to help with co-pays. Frustratingly, they can NOT be used if you are older and have part D insurance. It is crazy.

[Ms. Toad]

17. You might want to do some research.

A quick look suggests that aspirin is no more effective than a placebo in decreasing the risk of stroke post afib. You may not need Elequis, but you may need more than aspirin. The most frequent alternative appearing in a quick search was sodium warfarin, whihc has its own challenges (dirt cheap, but very frequent bloodwork - and you need to be able to stick to a relativley steady diet as to Vitamin K).

So aspirin seems to be old school for a reason. And, having been on sodium warfarin for different reasons for years, I'm not sure how much of the med savings would remain in my pocket when bloodwork is required very frequently. In theory, you can get to a level of stability that requires a draw only every 6-12 weeks, but I was never able to go longer than 2 weeks.

Newer medications are not always just to drive up profits - monocolonal antibodies are pretty much miracle drugs for people with a number of auto-immune diseases. The older medications typically just stopped working after a while (or never worked in the first place) and - in my daughter's disease - typically resulted in removal of the patient's colon.

Just be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

[aggiesal]

18. Any prescription over $20 is too expensive to me, and I can afford the prices you listed ...

but I would not have filled the prescription at either price.

Are you taking a baby aspirin or the full strength aspirin?
I've been taking the baby aspirin since I turned 50.

[calguy]

19. 81mg Delayed Release

[Xipe Totec]

20. Well, the medication I'm supposed to take is $12,000 per month

Drops to 3,000 per month after Medicare kicks in at 80%

Fortunately, at $3,000 catastrophic kicks in so I don't have to pay anything else other than the Part D premium of around $80 per month.

Thanks, Obama!

And after 2025, it drops to $2,000 max out of pocket. for the year.

Thanks, Biden!

[Xolodno]

22. There is a generic, but won't be available until 2026 here in the USA.

They successfully fought and won to extend the patent. My cardiologist says I need this drug, but he was helpful in providing a LOT of free samples when the insurance company at my previous employer was jerking me around. I also drove to Mexico and got a year's worth and was about to do it again, but I changed jobs and the price is the same if I got it there.

There is a procedure for AFIB that can eliminate it, but its a 50/50 shot they get it right the first time and you might have to go in for a second. I decided to use medication, but if it acts up again, I'm going in. I did the procedure for an atrial flutter and that was 95% successful on the first try. I was in and out the same day. For AFIB, might have to be hospitalized overnight for the procedure.

[Niagara]

23. I'm kicking this OP for the morning weekend crowd.

I certainly hope that your condition is reversible sometimes they can be, sometimes they're not.


Sending healing vibes and positive energy to you, Calguy.

[HAB911]

24. Someone has to pay for all those ads on the teevee machine

wishing you all the best!

[snowybirdie]

26. I recently saw

that Eliquis is one of the first drugs Joe Biden will negotiate with PHARMA to bring down costs for Seniors. Here's hoping the repubs don't stop him!

[Autumn]

30. Eliquis has one patent that expires in 2026 but unfortunatly there is another that won't expire until 2031

. I don't see them backing down anytime soon. Their greed will prevail.

[Mosby]

28. A heart rate of 30 isnt afib, its bradycardia.

Apparently your cardiologist knows this.

You could have myocarditis or hypothyroidism.

Ms toad upthread is right, aspirin for the most part is not recommended anymore. Talk to your cardiologist. You obviously have some sort of coronary artery disease that needs tx.

Eta have you had an echo done? You should.

[calguy]

33. Yeah, they did all that stuff to me during my hospital stay

The AFIB related symptoms were detected while I was being monitored in the ER. Every person's case is more complicated than can be covered in a post like this. I'm wearing a monitor now for the next thirty days, so he'll get more data on my heart before determining if I'll need a pacemaker to take care of my occasional low heart rate that makes me pass out.

[Mossfern]

29. I've been on "blood thinners" for 29 years

I take Warfarin - the cost is minimal - maybe a couple of dollars per month. Sometimes there's no charge.
The only issue with taking it is that I need to go monthly for a finger stick to check my INR, and sometimes the dosage changes. For me it's not a big deal. I don't know if Warfarin would work for Afib, but wonder what they used before all these expensive new- fangled anticoagulants came onto the market.

Whatever they end up prescribing for you, make sure there's an antidote!

[DFW]

31. I've been a serious heart patient for almost 20 years now.

After my first "near-miss," I had two stents put in, and was put on some super-strong blood thinner for a year. After that, it was reduced to one baby aspirin a day, costing next to nothing. In 2011, after a stupid error by a clinic in Dallas, I had my first genuine, certified Grade A heart attack, but it was so mild as to barely have registered on the charts. Still, they put me back on the super-strong blood thinner (Plavix, this time) for another year. Since 2012, it has been back to the baby aspirin (100 mg here, I saw it was 81 in the States), and it's all I've needed to supplement the statin I also have to take, plus 10mg of Ezetimibe. The baby aspirin costs about $2 a month here, like in the USA. Make absolutely sure that you need a stronger blood thinner before getting put on something stronger (and way more expensive). You also have to be sure your stomach can handle the constant aspirin, but at that dosage, most can.

Two of my grandparents died of heart attacks before they turned 70, and I'm 71, so I guess I'm ahead of the game already.. They both smoked, and I never did (very sensitive to arsenic, never could stand to be near a smoker, which used to be torture here in Europe). Cancer is my big worry, since both my parents and ALL their siblings had it. But my wife has had it twice and beaten it both times, including one form that is ALWAYS fatal, except in her case, where she was that one in ten thousand that makes the medical journals. So, there's no escape, but that hasn't stopped us from putting up a fight so far.

[NowISeetheLight]

34. Eliquis

When I was working in hospital revenue cycle I'd attend daily case mgmt meetings. We always had patients who were recommended to be discharged on Eliquis or Lovenox. Years ago before they came out I was working at a heart hospital. We ran a Coumadin clinic and our patients had to come in for frequent labs. It was the same for Warfarin.

The new drugs are complete game changers. The problem is the US patients, and our insurance companies (also us) are paying the vast majority of the drug company profits. I'm sure they're making money in Canada at $60 a month or whatever. So why is it $600 here? Greed.

I take Ozempic for diabetes. The VA prescribes it and I don't pay for my meds being a disabled vet. If I was cash pay it would be $1600 a month. In Canada its like $350. I'm sure the VA pays about that too. We don't know what our insurance companies pay because they keep their prices secret. One insurer might pay $600 and another $1000. It's a totally screwed up system.