My son takes this injectable medication, Dupixent (dupilumab), for his eczema. It’s one of those new-fangled monoclonal antibody medications that you see advertised on TV so much. It’s a great drug, and works very well. It’s also very expensive.
One box of two syringes costs about $2,000, or $1,000 per shot. Last year, we had a copay of $85, which was covered by the drug manufacturer. With prior approval from the doctor, the insurance covered the rest, so we paid nothing. Starting January 1, the copay for this medication went from $85 to $1,000. So this is basically OOP $3,000 worth of meds sitting on my counter. Fortunately, our insurance (BC/BS through my wife’s employer) is covering the balance of the copay, so we still pay nothing. Our insurance sent us a list of drugs and increased copays, one of which, Ledipasvir (treatment for Hepatitis C), has a copay of $7,500. That’s a copay. If you don’t have supplemental coverage, you don’t get your meds. Or you go broke.
I get it. The drug companies need to make their R&D money back. But do they have to make it all at once?