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Kevzara insurance denial options
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Feb 9 5:48am | Replies (23)Comment receiving replies
So when does one get on Kevzara? What is the point at which a Dr will prescribe it? Length on prednisone? Pain levels? I started pred end of March,2025. The drop downs were very easy until I hit at 4 w/a little pain I chose to deal with but I continued my drop downs till I hit 3mg/alternating days 2.5 mg. Well Pains were coming back a bit stronger. Rheumy says to bump back to 4 mg till I See him in early April.
Replies to "So when does one get on Kevzara? What is the point at which a Dr will..."
@kare1 You know your doctor - so here are some thoughts. If you send messages via portals like Epic's MyChart you could send a msg to your doctor saying you will go up to 4mg prednisone for now and are interested in their thoughts of considering you a candidate for a biologic.
Please do your online research before your appointment on the biologics so you know what you are suggesting. Keep an open mind when discussing it with your doctor.
There are definitely additional risks and you need to go into it with your eyes open so there are no surprises when a side effect hits.
You can have infusions at an infusion center or you can give yourself injections at home. There are pluses and minuses to each approach and that is something you also need to understand so you can discuss it with your doctor when the time comes.
Biologics are an entirely different class of medications, they can save lives and improve quality of life. Like everything else in the medical world the risk/benefit analysis needs to be understood to make an appropriate decision for you.
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@kare1
It sounds like your prednisone dose is a little too low. 10 months of treatment for PMR isn't very long. Google says most people need treatment for 9 to 24 months, but some people need it longer.
Here is quote from Google about who Kevzara is recommended for:
"Kevzara (sarilumab) is recommended for adults with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) who have had an inadequate response to corticosteroids (steroids) or cannot tolerate a steroid taper. It is typically used for patients who relapse during, or are dependent on, long-term steroid therapy, as demonstrated in studies showing sustained, steroid-free remission. "
Prednisone, Kevzara, and Actemra are all considered high risk drugs because of their potentially serious side effects. Your doctor might recommend Kevzara if he or she thinks you are going to be on prednisone for a long time or if prednisone isn't working well to treat your PMR.