Generic Truvada

[+ sniper]

it actually would stop it. I previously worked in the PBM industry for 13 years. They have done it before with a few medications, all they did was add acetomenaphine and look wow its in a capsule form! and exclusivity re extended. Its a very shady practice, but it works.

Ok, but isn't that exclusivity just for the new formulation? Couldn't someone still make it the old way?

Truvada's efficacy is so high, and the current retail price so high relative to the cost of treating what it prevents, that I'm finding it hard to imagine what they could do that would work there. Are people going to pay 5-10x the price for something that's 1% more effective/convenient? Will insurance companies?

[sincitymix]

Ok, but isn't that exclusivity just for the new formulation? Couldn't someone still make it the old way?

Truvada's efficacy is so high, and the current retail price so high relative to the cost of treating what it prevents, that I'm finding it hard to imagine what they could do that would work there. Are people going to pay 5-10x the price for something that's 1% more effective/convenient? Will insurance companies?

there is some patent term they do to extend the life of the patent and retain exclusivity. its a complicated and shady move, usually it also involves paying the manufacturers who want to make the generic large sums of money to not produce the generic and/or tying it up in courts for years.

[Daverwr]

I’m on Medicare D, which I hate. For part of the year all of my co-pays are through the roof (donut hole). Recently, my pharmacy changed my Truvada for PrEP prescription to the generic. I expected the co-pay to plummet but it didn’t. It was similar to Truvada.

[+ sniper]

They only priced the generic about 10-20% lower than brand name, because there is only one company licensed to make it for the first year. So it's not truly generic, just effectively a second name brand. If when there are multiple manufacturers, that should cause a significant drop.

It's just appalling, really, that they priced this drug in the first place at such a high fraction of the cost of the disease it prevents. We could have had a shot at nearly eradicating the virus if it were priced at a point where just everybody took it, and they would have made about the same overall profit, just lower as a percent.

[MikeBiDude]

I’m on Medicare D, which I hate. For part of the year all of my co-pays are through the roof (donut hole). Recently, my pharmacy changed my Truvada for PrEP prescription to the generic. I expected the co-pay to plummet but it didn’t. It was similar to Truvada.

I *just* signed up for a Part D plan this morning. Estimated annual drug cost with Brand Truvada=$3200, when I plugged in the generic it wasn’t covered and the out of pocket went to over $18k/year. I don’t take much else (enalapril maleate) so I signed up for a low premium plan, more expensive premiums didn’t change the $3k Truvada out of pocket.

See formulary discussion above in this thread. Hopefully the generic will get added to formulary soon?

 

Also @marylander1940 mentions an overseas option for the generic:

Tenvir EM 300/200mg Tablet | Buy Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine Online | AlldayChemist

[+ Snbrd]

I'm now 2 weeks on generic (TEVA) and have zero side effects. Never having had any of the Truvada side effects that we were warned about I was curious about other experiences. My 90 day supply came with a minimal co-pay. Recent spikes in COVID rates may again force me into hiatus which will extend the life of the present Rx.

Edited December 4, 2020 by Snbrd

[MikeBiDude]

Some companies limit PrEP after a certain age. I guess they're don't know about our hobby or how active you're.

 

Tenvir EM 300/200mg Tablet | Buy Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine Online | AlldayChemist

I’m seriously considering this overseas generic. I’ve purchased Cipla Labs products before from AllDayChemist. In the case of generic Viagra/Cialis, you “know” they work. Right? You either get an erection within 45-60 minutes or not.

 

My concern with Tenvir Em ...how do you KNOW it works ??‍♂️

[marylander1940]

I’m seriously considering this overseas generic. I’ve purchased Cipla Labs products before from AllDayChemist. In the case of generic Viagra/Cialis, you “know” they work. Right? You either get an erection within 45-60 minutes or not.

 

yes, they work but I've tried other things that work too like Azim 500mg (generic Azithromycin)

 

 

My concern with Tenvir Em ...how do you KNOW it works ??‍♂️

 

I know an uncut escort who has been using it for 4 years, he doesn't BB all the time with his clients but he ONLY BB with Grindr hookups. He is still negative, he also gets tested every Monday for Covid-19 and shows me his results.

 

Besides if everything else from all day chemist works why Tenvir Em by Cipla wouldn't?

 

Can you buy them directly from Cipla?

 

Cipla - Wikipedia

 

How an Indian tycoon fought Big Pharma to sell AIDS drugs for $1 a day

[+ sniper]

I’m on Medicare D, which I hate. For part of the year all of my co-pays are through the roof (donut hole). Recently, my pharmacy changed my Truvada for PrEP prescription to the generic. I expected the co-pay to plummet but it didn’t. It was similar to Truvada.

I was wondering - do payments for medication count towards your medical deductible and stop-loss? I'm not retirement age, but the way my employer plan works, the deductibles overlap so if I've spent the deductible on office visits/treatments, prescriptions will get covered from first dollar. Likewise, if I hit the stop loss with Rx spending, I don't pay anything more for in-network care the rest of the year.

[MikeBiDude]

Can you buy them directly from Cipla?

Thanks for the feedback. I’m ok buying Cipla from AllDayChemist. I have an Ally online bank account I keep a couple hundred dollars in just for bank transfers to online companies that prefer bank drafts, particularly offshore companies. Works great with AllDayChemist.

 

I paid my first Medicare Part D co-pay yesterday (3rd party AARP Part D plan) and that Truvada co-pay would have covered a full year of Cipla’s generic product! Truvada co-pays will average put to $300/month but are very high early.

 

Recently, my pharmacy changed my Truvada for PrEP prescription to the generic. I expected the co-pay to plummet but it didn’t. It was similar to Truvada.

So the Truvada generic is still Tier 5 in Medicare formulary so it’s going to cost the same as real Truvada! Doesn’t make sense, but after generic has been out a year it will (probably/maybe) change Tiers and become an affordable alternate. Winter 2021-22?

[Guest]

To anyone this is relevant to:

 

Why wouldn't you find a way to jump to Descovy for PrEP? I'm curious.

All interesting talking/data points.

 

And that's why I asked... When it comes to your health, you should question everything.

 

https://www.singlecare.com/blog/descovy-vs-truvada/

According to the link you provided, Descovy and Truvada have similar efficacy and side-effect profiles. The only difference I could see was that Descovy has more drug interactions. Why are you so enthusiastic about Descovy?

[+ honcho]

I got a notice from the Kaiser health plan that they are switching me to some kind of generic for PrEP next time I refill,

but they didn't say which one.

[+ sniper]

There is currently only one generic Truvada. Descovy is a different medication.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

According to the link you provided, Descovy and Truvada have similar efficacy and side-effect profiles. The only difference I could see was that Descovy has more drug interactions. Why are you so enthusiastic about Descovy?

 

This Q&A might frame it better.

 

https://www.thebodypro.com/article/does-descovy-work-better-than-truvada-for-prep-discover-trial-questions

 

No matter what you choose, it's ultimately a personal decision. Any PrEP is better than no PrEP at all.

 

What did make me pause was this article. There's clearly a lot of money being thrown into marketing this drug and patients are beginning to ask for it specifically without really knowing why.

 

https://www.thebodypro.com/article/should-prep-users-on-truvada-switch-to-descovy

[Kcdave]

I was just doing some research about getting on to prep. And found that the generic version is available through good RX for very cheap prices. This seems to be much better than going overseas for the medication. Has anybody else explored and checked it out through good RX?  
seems that it’s the cheapest at Kroger stores, Gerbes stores, and Hyvee.  
Costco prices also seem to be very reasonable for a 30 day supply. This is pretty good if you don’t want to turn it into your pharmacy plan.

[jeezifonly]

Does a coupon app have regulations to follow re patient confidentiality surrounding your searches and purchases?

GoodRx has a way of making money. Like Facebook, their product is knowledge about you. The “discount” is the lure. 

Your privacy is actually safer going through your insurance Rx coverage. 

[Kcdave]

11 hours ago, jeezifonly said:

Does a coupon app have regulations to follow re patient confidentiality surrounding your searches and purchases?

GoodRx has a way of making money. Like Facebook, their product is knowledge about you. The “discount” is the lure. 

Your privacy is actually safer going through your insurance Rx coverage. 

I am not looking to use any insurance benefits to purchase PREP care.  So I am looking for what my best option would be for out-of-pocket cost.
I do not want it to go through my employer‘s plan. And I’m not old enough for Medicare. 

So I am looking to get the best out of pocket cost using a program like good RX or some other discount program.
 

[jeezifonly]

4 hours ago, Kcdave said:

I am not looking to use any insurance benefits to purchase PREP care.  So I am looking for what my best option would be for out-of-pocket cost.
I do not want it to go through my employer‘s plan. And I’m not old enough for Medicare. 

So I am looking to get the best out of pocket cost using a program like good RX or some other discount program.
 

What’s the deal with hesitance re employee bene plan? HIIPA prevents employer access to your med info without your consent. You can at least get access to mail-order with some savings, and no tracking of you or your gps, or purchase history.

With apps like GoodRx you may just as well Insta your entire shopping and medical history  - you’d at least get to add some gifs and funny quotes along the way.

Any business model that inserts itself in the middle of consumer transactions by offering some savings incentive, is getting something from you. Coupon apps are nothing but data harvest. (We already put up with that using the Walgreens card, for example - hence the 48” of receipt in the bag) For you, low price over time may be compensation enough for what they get. 

Insurance plans are still very wild-west, and finding coverage in your region for scrips with no generic is hard! 

Medication for Prep came along WAY after my exposure, but its class of drugs have been part of my management regimen for years incl clinical trials. Would I have pursued Prep when I was cute young neg gay thing? Probably. 

When I flipped to Medicare, I used an agent who looked at my full Rx picture (he had consent dialog box with property security info) He was able to find the best overall plan for what I take (truvada replaced by prezcobix 2 yrs ago) and all drugs with patent are indeed spendy at first but have all gone way down now… Ought to put end of year ‘savings’ into separate account to soften another blow come Jan.
F@ck Christmas gotta save up for drugs! 

[+ tassojunior]

At Kaiser medicare advantage the rate for Prep was $1000/mo last i checked. 

[+ azdr0710]

is this news any big deal?.....or not really?......I don't use Prep, but saw this in today's nbcnews.com headlines....

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-health-and-wellness/prep-hiv-prevention-pill-must-now-totally-free-almost-insurance-plans-rcna1470

[MikeBiDude]

Just picked up my first 30 day supply of generic Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine).

$3.70!! Yay! Might be a bit higher after 1st of the year.

[+ keroscenefire]

On 7/20/2021 at 3:43 PM, tassojunior said:

At Kaiser medicare advantage the rate for Prep was $1000/mo last i checked. 

I have regular Kaiser and it's much much cheaper for me. Generic Truvada is usually only like $50 for 3-months supply by mail-order. The tests for PrEp (STD/Blood panel) are more expensive than the medication itself. Usually it costs me a couple hundred for three-months with everything. 

[+ FrankR]

2 hours ago, keroscenefire said:

I have regular Kaiser and it's much much cheaper for me. Generic Truvada is usually only like $50 for 3-months supply by mail-order. The tests for PrEp (STD/Blood panel) are more expensive than the medication itself. Usually it costs me a couple hundred for three-months with everything. 

Try the heymistr website - testing and Descovy, doesnt cost me anything. 
 

https://heymistr.com/

 

It works with my insurance and doesnt cost me anything. Convenient at home testing too.  Never thought I would see the day…but here it is!  Hard to argue with “free” as the price tag!

[+ Tygerscent]

4 hours ago, MikeBiDude said:

Just picked up my first 30 day supply of generic Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine).

$3.70!! Yay! Might be a bit higher after 1st of the year.

Better than in the old days where it was $1,400 a bottle/month

[+ Tygerscent]

21 minutes ago, FrankR said:

Try the heymistr website - testing and Descovy, doesnt cost me anything. 
 

https://heymistr.com/

 

It works with my insurance and doesnt cost me anything. Convenient at home testing too.  Never thought I would see the day…but here it is!  Hard to argue with “free” as the price tag!

Descovy is said to be the better PreP drug of choice and easier on the kidneys than Truvada