The MS Wire

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

Tag: drug insurance

Big Insurance Sues Big Pharma Over Copay Funding

copay lawsuit

People living with multiple sclerosis know that the medications used to treat it are expensive. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the median annual price of brand-name disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) last year was $91,835. Five of them carried a price tag of more than $100,000 a year. Many pharmaceutical companies help defray the out-of-pocket costs of their DMTs for patients. But U.S. law strictly limits how this can be…Continue Reading

MS Patients Get Caught on an Insurance Deductible Snag

MS drugs are expensive. Many people with MS are able to afford their high prices only because their insurance covers most of the cost. Then what remains as a copay has often been covered by the pharmaceutical companies that produce those meds, who have offered patient assistance programs or discount cards to help pay the copay. So, your out-of-pocket costs have been minimal or none. Now, however, that paradigm is…Continue Reading

It Shouldn’t be This Hard to Get Our MS Medications

I got a phone call from my MS One to One nurse, Lynn, a few days ago. One to One is the patient support service provided by Sanofi Genzyme for patients on the biotech company’s MS disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) and Aubagio (teriflunomide). Lynn called to ensure that all of the paperwork was up-to-date and ready for my second round of Lemtrada infusions, which is scheduled to begin the…Continue Reading