An Overview of Cost and Savings Among the most disputable prostate cancer drugs in the United States, enzalutamide under the trademark Xtandi is highly priced, having a high disparity from its price in other countries. The author of this piece looks at various enzalutamide price in usa in the United States to see how much a patient might save if more efforts were made to make this medication more affordable.
What Is Enzalutamide?
A disease like metastatic prostate castration-resistant cancer is treated with this medication. It inhibits the signal transduction effect of the androgen receptor in the prostate. Despite its effectiveness, patients and medical professionals now face financial challenges.
Overview of Prices
Enzalutamide may cost a lot of money just in the United States. A single 40 mg capsule may cost $66 on the Federal Supply Schedule and $100 at more than retail price. The AWP was estimated to cost approximately $130 per capsule as of January 2022, which amounts to an annual treatment cost of approximately $189,900 for a typical course of treatment. In rather striking comparison, patients in places such as Japan and Canada pay significantly less, at prices around $21.64and $22.30 per capsule, respectively.
Patient financial burden Therefore, the exorbitant out-of-pocket costs associated with its consumption would be reflected in its extremely high price on the US market. A study indicates that the median annual out-of-pocket costs which enzalutamide users incur could go as high as $11,626, while a large proportion of its costs falls in the upper range of $9,854 to $13,061 This will considerably interfere with the quality of life and adherence to treatment in a significant number of patients.
There is a Possibility of Savings Despite the hefty prices, there exist ways through which patients can save their money. By comparing the costs among the various Medicare Part D drug plans, for instance, the patient would be in a position to save all the way up to $2,512 annually on enzalutamide.
The best tools, like the Medicare
Part D Plan Finder, make it possible to locate the most cost-effective options for patients. Make a case for price reductions. In the case of the drug, both legislator and advocacy groups have been working on a change in its affordability due to its super high price. In 2021, a group of American lawmakers urged the Biden administration to enforce patent laws and lower the price of the drug. They added that the federal government must exercise its “march-in” rights under the Bayh-Dole Act to enable sales of generic versions of enzalutamide. In answering, in March 2023, NIH denied this request based on the availability of the drug already being so high and that march-in authority would not serve as an effective way to bring the prices down.
Patient Assistance Programs
Support for XTANDI patients at a reduced out-of-pocket cost, the XTANDI Patient Savings Program helps commercially insured, eligible patients to pay as little as **$0** for every prescription. There may be other financial assistance programs and resources available to patients that can help with treatment costs.
Conclusion
The steep prices of enzalutamide, especially in the United States, pose a big obstruction to patients suffering from prostate cancer. Even though specific advocacy efforts and patient assistance programs partially offset many of these costs, more work remains to ensure that all patients have easy access to this life-saving treatment. For example, some of the ways these may help a person better negotiate the financial burden in treating prostat
