While both of these drugs seem to be effective so far, they are extremely expensive, even for insured patients. Orencia costs in the range of $17,500 a year for patients without insurance. Rituxan is even more expensive, costing about $18, 630 for the course of two infusions. This is similar to the family of TNF-inhibitors, which also cost similar amounts ranging from approximately $11,000 to $28,000 a year. Most insurance companies cover these drugs when other treatments have failed, but some require co-payments of as much as 20%. This can create a financial hardship for some patients.
In addition, Orencia and Rituxan have been linked to serious and sometimes fatal side effects such as deadly infusion reactions and an increased risk of cancer. This is also similar to the TNF-inhibitors which some studies have shown patients to be twice as likely to develop serious infections and three times as likely to develop various types of cancers, such as lymphoma and breast, lung, and skin cancers.
While I am excited about the potential these drugs have to bring relief and daily function to so many people, I continue to have the same reservations that I have previously expressed about biotech drugs. First, I am concerned about the potential side effects of these drugs and whether all side effects have been studied. While the government has high standards and requirements for clinical trials, recent developments like the Vioxx trials have shown weaknesses in the system. There is a definite financial incentive to having favorable research. These companies have spent millions of dollars and many years developing these treatments. Drug companies are for-profit companies, beholden to shareholders and they have a great impact on the health care market and the overall economy. I hope that there will be continued funding of longitudinal studies of the effectiveness and risks of side effects of these drugs.
Second, other recent articles have shown the skyrocketing costs and expenditures by insurance companies. Drug companies recoup their investments and make their profit by charging very large sums for the drugs. While insurance covers most of the cost, I will be interested to find out how and to what degree the exponential increase in health plan spending for biotech drugs will be passed on to consumers through our premiums and other cost-sharing methods. On the other hand, these drugs have lasting benefits for many patients, virtually stopping disease progression. So in the long run, this saves insurance companies and consumers by staving off disability and the long-term costs of chronic care. Insurance companies, Medicare & Medicaid and consumers may end up paying less over the years for medical and other health services like therapy and for adaptive equipment, nursing assistance and home health care.
If you are taking Orencia or Rituxan, please take a few minutes to post a message on our questions and answers message board about your experience with these drugs: effectiveness, side effects or insurance issues so that others who are considering these drugs can learn from your experiences.
Read the patient summary from the Annals of Internal Medicine, entitled Abatacept for People with Active Rheumatoid Arthritis.
