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Author Topic: Auvi-Q relaunch  (Read 45886 times)

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Offline PurpleCat

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #60 on: February 14, 2017, 07:18:45 AM »
That's great!  I need to call our insurance and see what they will cover.

Offline BensMom

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #61 on: February 14, 2017, 09:31:30 AM »
What does that mean--a 30 day supply?

I just got this from auvi-q, saying it's $0 out of pocket if you have commercial insurance.


We are pleased to announce that AUVI-Q® (epinephrine injection, USP) is available.

AUVI-Q is easy to use and is about the size of a credit card and the thickness of a cell phone, so it'll fit into most pockets and small purses.
•    AUVI-Q is designed with voice instructions to help make it easy to use.
•    AUVI-Q is the first and only epinephrine auto-injector with an auto-retractable needle.

Ask your doctor if AUVI-Q is right for you.

AUVI-Q AffordAbility™ is a first-of-its-kind access program for AUVI-Q. It provides:
•    $0 out of pocket for all commercially insured patients, including high deductible plans.†
•    Support for patients who can't afford their medicines and who do not have commercial or government insurance.
•    Direct delivery service provides AUVI-Q within 48 hours shipped directly to your home, and can ensure the best expiration dating for AUVI-Q.

†Not valid for patients insured in whole or in part by government programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare, or other federal or state health programs (such as state prescription drug programs). Savings limits apply. Please see full eligibility requirements at www.auvi-q.com.

Get your AUVI-Q in 2 easy steps through the direct delivery service:
1.    Visit www.auvi-q.com to download the enrollment form. Complete and bring to your physician in order to start the process.
2.    Delivered within 48 hours. AUVI-Q is shipped directly to your home.
   Call 1-877-30-AUVIQ

Offline nyguy

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #62 on: February 14, 2017, 10:45:19 AM »
This whole thing is a #$&##*#* trying to get the Auvi-Q back. I got the email update from kaleo this morning saying it's available. I called my doctor and asked for a prescription (In New York all prescriptions are now digital and I have to wait for the doctor to approve it to push to the pharmacy.) I had been speaking with Kaleo about the copay program before today, and here is my understanding (please note, if you find a contradiction in your personal experience, share it as this is all new):

You *can* fill with a local pharmacy and somehow the price is supposed to be zero if you have commercial insurance. They don't offer a traditional copay card, but I have had automatic "coupons" on medication deduct without me ever giving the pharmacy anything. If the pharmacist can't fill the scrip (order issues, etc.) or it doesn't price at zero on commercial insurance, they're supposed to call Kaleo to sort it out [The help document on the Auvi-Q](https://www.auvi-q.com/pdf/Direct-Delivery-Service.pdf).

So I called my local CVS this morning to find out if they could order it or had ordered it and I got the discontinued spiel, I explained it was reintroduced. Pharmacist checks computer and they can't even order it. I called my local non-chain pharmacy and they checked too; they said their wholesaler (McKesson) does not offer it as an option for them to order at the pharmacy. I called the toll free number this morning and they directed me to tell the pharmacists to call them, both CVS and local pharmacist said they can't do anything about it  until the wholesaler (McKesson, Cardinal Health, etc.) offers it for order.

So basically I'm in limbo on when and if I can get it again.

The help document also states that if your commercial insurance won't cover it that " kaléo will pay the total amount so that you have a $0 out-of-pocket cost." (For people who it is covered, Kaleo offers to cover the copay if the coverage by the insurer is 90%, leaving it in limbo if it's a true zero copay). How this is done, zero details  :'(

At this point, I'm waiting for CVS to get the prescription from my doctor (they take 1-3 days to fill non-critical prescriptions, and since I have an EpiPen it isn't considered critical) and to find out if CVS is even going to be able to order the medication. I refuse to enroll in the direct delivery service on the grounds that they want the last four digits of my social security number which is something I don't give to pharmacies or doctors, ever.

Offline Macabre

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #63 on: February 14, 2017, 07:36:27 PM »
Yeah, yesterday when I called CVS, it wasn't in the system yet.

30 day supply in the past has meant I get two every 30 days. That's how iurbinsirence wssnbefore with them, and we were able to build up some back ups (we did not get them every month though I helped we could have).
Me: Sesame, shellfish, chamomile, sage
DS: Peanuts

Offline momma2boys

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #64 on: February 14, 2017, 08:17:45 PM »
We haven't gotten any in, will check tomorrow to see if available through Cardinal yet.
peanut, treenut, sesame
Northeast, US

Offline SaraM

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #65 on: February 15, 2017, 08:54:01 AM »
Yeah,  Auvi-q needs to get it together. I was told I could *not* order from a local pharmacy  (apparently not accurate). Also, customer service was supposed to get back to me about temperature control questions  (never happened). And yes, Walgreens, didn't have it in their system. Sigh....

Offline momma2boys

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #66 on: February 15, 2017, 01:11:59 PM »
So I can now see it in our system as far as pricing but unavailable to order from Cardinal. Cash price is sadly listed as $2700
peanut, treenut, sesame
Northeast, US

Offline Janelle205

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #67 on: February 15, 2017, 03:36:18 PM »
I'm guessing I can call somewhere and ask, but does anyone know if I can use the discount program if I have Medicare not Part D?  I only use private insurance for prescriptions.

Offline nyguy

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #68 on: February 15, 2017, 03:47:52 PM »
So I got in touch with kaléo and they were able to get my application through in a mutually agreeable way (I didn't want to supply the last four digits of social as that is highly sensitive info, more places it is, more likely it gets lost). They called me today to confirm (caller ID just said "PHARMACY", phone number 844-357-3968) and have arranged delivery for Monday (they offered Friday originally, but I asked them to require a signature and Monday is the earliest date where I will be available to sign. Don't want them sitting outside in the cold!). If/when I get them maybe I will take a couple pics of the packaging. I'm curious about the courier and the packaging given the limited temperature range it's supposed to be subject to.

My insurance priced two cartons (for a total of 4 Auvi-Q injectors and 2 trainers) at $90 copay, which was automatically coupon'd down to $0. If the delivery follows through, then I'd say it's a very smooth experience. (The "plan pays" portion was somewhere around $330 for 2 injectors and 4 injectors gave the $8,000 price on caremark.com's "Price a Drug" tool).

Rather than giving the doctor the form it looks like they can use this site to submit the prescription or put in the NPI into EMR software (which would apply in new york where e-Prescription is required in-state, so everyone has the software for e-Prescription already).

I'm guessing I can call somewhere and ask, but does anyone know if I can use the discount program if I have Medicare not Part D?  I only use private insurance for prescriptions.
Based on the help doc on the Auvi-Q site, it isn't discounted, price varies on Medicare. Link to document:

Quote from: AUVI-Q
For eligible patients with government insurance (e.g. Medicaid or Medicare), the out-of-pocket cost of
AUVI-Q will vary according to plan.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2017, 04:07:31 PM by nyguy »

Offline Janelle205

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #69 on: February 15, 2017, 06:13:45 PM »
I'm guessing I can call somewhere and ask, but does anyone know if I can use the discount program if I have Medicare not Part D?  I only use private insurance for prescriptions.
Based on the help doc on the Auvi-Q site, it isn't discounted, price varies on Medicare. Link to document:

Quote from: AUVI-Q
For eligible patients with government insurance (e.g. Medicaid or Medicare), the out-of-pocket cost of
AUVI-Q will vary according to plan.

I get that part, but I don't have any government insurance that covers prescriptions - you have to buy part D coverage if you want it - and it wasn't worth it since I have good private insurance that covers prescriptions.  So the pharmacy doesn't even know that I have Medicare, if that makes sense.

Offline nyguy

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #70 on: February 15, 2017, 06:32:07 PM »
I get that part, but I don't have any government insurance that covers prescriptions - you have to buy part D coverage if you want it - and it wasn't worth it since I have good private insurance that covers prescriptions.  So the pharmacy doesn't even know that I have Medicare, if that makes sense.

If you don't have any government coverage that covers prescriptions and you have annual income of less than $100K/yr (household) I'd apply for the Auvi-Q patient assistance program.

I had a lot of trouble figuring it out and getting a prescription and at the toll free number they had to redirect me a couple times (once to a different department, then a supervisor) but they got me sorted out very quickly.

EDIT: Well, as it turns out, they apparently did charge my insurance almost $9,000 for four Auvi-Q units:



There's still a lot of room for shenanigans (example: Drug companies can and routinely do receive rebates of 30-50% when buying brand name drugs) but it appears that theories they were targeting permissive plans is entirely correct - even if you take off half of $9,000 you still get $4,500 from my employer (I'm on a large group plan where all the PBM rebates get forwarded to my company). It's really a hell of a gambit to subsidize devices for those making less than $100,000 a year and for those on high deductible plans to reduce the out of pocket to zero, for those who have commercial insurance that refuses to cover it, etc... I think they have a very limited amount of time before every major pharmacy benefits manager calls it a non-covered drug and then Kaleo is the only one paying for prescriptions. Either that or they change list price for the medication that is much more in line with prior history when Sanofi was the owner.

I receive on Monday. We'll see what the expiration dates are (I saw one blog mention the first batch having April 2018 expirations) and if my insurance plan will still pay for Auvi-Q when I need to get new ones...
« Last Edit: February 16, 2017, 11:34:51 AM by nyguy »

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #71 on: February 16, 2017, 03:23:01 PM »
Our allergist has submitted through the prescportal.  Together we are using this as a data gathering experiment to evaluate the logistics.  On the horizon we all may have long term supply guarantees.

Quote
Klobuchar Presses Pharmaceutical Company kaléo for Answers on High Prices of Medications that Treat Opioid Overdoses and Food Allergies

February 3, 2017

Kaléo increased the price of a two-pack of Evzio, a device containing naloxone that treats life-threatening opioid overdoses, from $690 to over $4,500 during the last three years; It also announced that it was re-introducing AUVI-Q, an epinephrine injector for those with food allergies, back to the United States at a price of $4,500 for a two-pack

 

In a letter to President and CEO Williamson, Klobuchar asked kaléo to explain its high prices


WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar pressed pharmaceutical company kaléo for answers regarding the high prices of its medications that treat opioid overdoes and food allergies. Kaléo increased the price of a two-pack of Evzio, a device containing naloxone that treats life-threatening opioid overdoses, from $690 to over $4,500 during the last three years. It also announced that it was re-introducing AUVI-Q, an epinephrine injector for those with food allergies, back to the United States at a price of $4,500 for a two-pack. In a letter to President and CEO Williamson, Klobuchar asked kaléo to explain its high prices.


“Due to the severity of the opioid epidemic and Evzio’s life-saving attributes, it is critical that your products remain affordable to Americans,” Klobuchar wrote.  “Second, you announced that you are re-introducing AUVI-Q, an epinephrine injector for those with food allergies, back to the United States at a price of $4,500 for a two-pack. Your price of $4,500 for a two-pack is especially disturbing, as more competition should mean lower—rather than higher—prices for epinephrine injectors. We must make the market work for consumers.”

 

Klobuchar has championed efforts to address the high cost of prescription drugs, authoring multiple pieces of legislation that would protect American consumers. She introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, which would allow for Medicare to negotiate the best possible price of prescription drugs. Klobuchar joined with Senators Grassley, Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Mike Lee (R-UT) to introduce the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act to deter pharmaceutical companies from blocking cheaper generic alternatives from entering the marketplace. She has also introduced the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to expand consumers’ access to the cost-saving generic drugs they need and increase competition between drug manufacturers by helping to end “pay for delay” deals—the practice of brand-name drug manufacturers using anti-competitive pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market. In addition, Klobuchar introduced the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) that would require the Food and Drug Administration to establish a personal importation program that would allow individuals to import a 90-day supply of prescription drugs from an approved Canadian pharmacy.

The full text of Klobuchar’s letter is below:

Dear Mr. Williamson:

 

I am writing to express concern over your company’s drug pricing for two products: Evzio and AUVI-Q. First, kaléo has increased the price of a two-pack of Evzio, a device containing naloxone that treats life-threatening opioid overdoses, from $690 to over $4,500 during the last three years. This price increase is worrisome. Due to the severity of the opioid epidemic and Evzio’s life-saving attributes, it is critical that your products remain affordable to Americans.

 

Second, you announced that you are re-introducing AUVI-Q, an epinephrine injector for those with food allergies, back to the United States at a price of $4,500 for a two-pack. This price is much higher than Mylan’s two-pack price of $600, which understandably sparked outrage over the high costs of these products. Your price of $4,500 for a two-pack is especially disturbing, as more competition should mean lower—rather than higher—prices for epinephrine injectors.

 

I understand that kaléo is trying to mitigate the impact on consumers by providing Evzio for free to cities, first responders, and drug treatment programs, and offering various programs to help ensure that no consumer pays the $4,500 price for AUVI-Q. While these subsidies and programs are noteworthy, I am concerned that they do not address the underlying problem of rising prescription drug costs. These programs may simply shift costs to other parts of the healthcare system, which are eventually passed on to consumers through higher premiums. Many worry this pricing strategy may allow pharmaceutical companies to benefit from increased profits while hiding the true costs to consumers.

 

I want to understand the pricing approach kaléo has adopted. Please respond to the following questions.

 

1.  Why did you increase the price of Evzio by 700 percent over the last three years?

     a. How much has the cost of manufacturing Evzio changed over the last three years?

 

2.   In explaining the pricing of AUVI-Q, you said “[t]he reason the list price is high is it’s the only way we can make sure patients have access and can get it for $0.”  Please explain why kaléo needs to adopt this pricing system to ensure patient access to AUVI-Q.

 

3.  Other companies are pricing a two-pack of epinephrine injectors in the $100 to $300 dollar range in addition to providing generous rebates. Why is kaléo unable to follow a similar pricing strategy for your epinephrine injector?

 

I am sure you appreciate the importance of making prescription drugs affordable. We must make the market work for consumers. I look forward to your responses.



Offline BensMom

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #72 on: February 16, 2017, 03:46:48 PM »
Someone mentioned that McKesson is a wholesaler. I emailed my sister, who works for them, to see if she could find out anything, but she didn't know anything about when they'd be sent out.

Offline nyguy

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #73 on: February 17, 2017, 08:26:27 AM »
My Auvi-Q order was shipped very late in the day (5PM) from a Thrifty White pharmacy in Fargo, North Dakota. I did not receive a call or email from Auvi-Q/Kaleo/ASPN, just a shipment notification from UPS. This is somewhat surprising as I asked for Monday delivery and explained I would not be home to sign for the package. It would be ~16 hours (incl. time "lost" by moving forward from central time to eastern time) door to door if it were delivered today.

Luckily I was able to divert the shipment to my local UPS store (free if you sign up for a UPS My Choice account, which allows you to see all packages coming to you at your address) which will mean it will sit in a heated store for the weekend rather than being left out in the cold at the front door and I can get it monday.



EDIT: And now we try to push the experimentation further with the insurance on the rest of my family (all of whom have some form of food allergy):
  • Parents have Express Scripts who covers it at Tier 3 (second highest tier) with prior auth required for a visual or hearing disability requiring an autoinjector with spoken/written directions (or a caregiver needing to administer with same). They won't qualify under that meaning it's not covered (kaleo says "If your commercial insurance does not cover AUVI-Q at all, kaléo will pay the total amount so that you have a $0 out-of-pocket cost.")
  • One brother is on a state run Obamacare Essential plan (NOT Medicaid/Medicare) which fills through Caremark as pharmacy benefits manager and the price a drug tool explicitly says it's not covered (same as above, hopefully)
  • Other brother is on a high deductible commercial insurance which may not cover it (same as above hopefully) or may with the high deductible (kaleo says "If your commercial insurance covers 90% and you are responsible for the remaining 10%, kaléo will
    cover the cost of AUVI-Q to ensure you pay $0 out-of-pocket, even if you have a high-deductible
    ")

Interestingly enough Kaleo's AffordAbility FAQ says:

Quote from: kaleo
We will not be offering a traditional co-pay coupon card. Through the AffordAbilityTM program, our goal is to make obtaining AUVI-Q efficient and easy for $0 if you have commercial insurance, even for those with high deductible plans.

However, when I spoke to my allergist's office this morning about getting the scrip for the rest of the family they said an Auvi-Q rep had dropped off literature including copay coupon cards yesterday. So I have no idea what the reality is.

EDIT 2: Prescriber tried online direct delivery website and it would not process/proceed on fill without last four of patient social entered. I asked them to instead fill via EMR (ePrescription) direct from the provider's software. Will see if that still requires the SSN or not. (I did the faxed form, did not enter last four of SSN, and my prescription was still processed).
« Last Edit: February 17, 2017, 10:19:36 AM by nyguy »

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Re: Auvi-Q relaunch
« Reply #74 on: February 17, 2017, 12:50:25 PM »
nyguy is my brother from another mother.