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The impact of Prednisone on A1C
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Apr 25, 2023 | Replies (15)Comment receiving replies
Actemra is expensive indeed.
To partially offset this, Genentech, the corporation that produces Actemra, covers up to $15K/year for its costs. In my case, with my insurance, that is covering all my costs other than a $5 copay. Genentech requires it to be to treat an FDA approved disease, which would likely mean Giant Cell Arteritis for those reading here, a disease which is closely related to PMR. It seems enforcement of this restriction is limited to the administrator asking you what disease you have when you call them.
Replies to "Actemra is expensive indeed. To partially offset this, Genentech, the corporation that produces Actemra, covers up..."
Did you need to submit any medical records or sign a consent to release your medical records to Genentech? I have never understood how this subsidy works.
I thought people on Medicare couldn't get the subsidy. However, Medicare will cover Actemra infusions given at a hospital so long as it is being used for GCA but not for PMR. With a Medicare supplement to cover the remaining 20% of the cost there shouldn't be that much of an out of pocket expense.
Is Actemra working for you? I like to hear how it works for other people. It validates my experience with it. Apparently some people don't get off prednisone completely but the majority of people can still significantly reduce the amount of prednisone they need. Given that so many people have difficulty when their prednisone dose gets less than 7 mg, I wonder how much of this is related to adrenal insufficiency.
https://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0056/ea0056p44
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There was a study published in New England J of Medicine that indicated Actemra is helpful in tapering off Prednisone, reducing relapses, and lessening the adverse events when compared to Prednisone alone. This was for Giant Cell Arteritis, which has a very similar pathology to PMR, but I understand Actemra is commonly used to treat PMR. I've been diagnosed with both GCA and PMR, although the GCA diagnosis is less certain. All we have is our symptoms and lab tests; the actual diagnosis is always just a guess.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmcp1214825