I hope your information is accurate. I guess I shouldn't complain about the cost of Eliquis at about $600 a month. Glad you are doing well.

The Kiplinger report was in Sunday's Chicago Tribune -- what they call the "Success" section. I should have mentioned that, and that the relief is coming from legislation enacted as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. More is scheduled to be phased in over seven years. Thank you, 2022 Congress. (Will this and future legislators in Washington keep the promise?)

There was also an interesting article about minimizing taxes when a traditional IRA is inherited (beyond spousal inheritance). One way was to hold municipal securities in the IRA. Another was to convert to a Roth IRA -- as long as the Roth is established for at least five and half years before you die. The author, Elliot Raphaelson, also brought up several advantages of life insurance, including that proceeds are tax-free to beneficiaries.

Chisue if I may ask, what MM were you diagnosed with? Considered aggressive? Did you have to have a stem cell transplant?

I know NOTHING about prescription costs under Medicare but my mom is paying $130 a month for Eliquis and complaining. Any idea why such a disparity?

katlan -- I was never told by my primary, but I'd had MGUS for many years. That often, but not always, develops into full blown MM. I was 78 when I felt so awful that I insisted on a blood test. My IgG was over 6000 (norm is 700 - 1600). My MM is Kappa dominant. I was too old to be considered for the transplant procedure, but my health in general was in my favor -- no diabetes, kidney or liver disorders, normal weight, etc. My first oncologist was optimistic, and promised me that treatment today isn't as harsh as depicted in old movies, where the cancer patient spent her days with her head in the toilet!

I haven't heard the term 'aggressive' in connection with MM, as I have with other cancers. I'm still here, five years later, but maybe 'aggressive' is in my future. My doctors have agreed to be less 'aggressive' with my treatment in deference to my enjoyment of life. Still, my IgG was about 1100 last test.

I had two years of success with each of Velcade and Darzalex until they began to fail. Now I have had Revlimid added to boost the Darzalex. I had negligible problems until Revlimid, which gave me a very sore tongue at 10MG -- now reduced to 5MG daily with some relief.

It's amazing that a nasty drug like Thalidomide could be fashioned into something useful like Lenalidomide/Revlimid. My DM died of a related blood cancer 40 years ago. There was *nothing* to be done then but watch her die. I've lived 10 years longer than she did.

chisue...amazing your having such great success with the current drugs. Bravo!

Thank you chisue. Continued good health.

Attached is a link to the Pharmstore showing its prices for Eliquis and its generic. I've been getting prescription meds from them since September 2021. I have no affiliation with them - I'm just a happy customer saving $.

https://www.pharmstore.com/drugs/prescription/blood-thinner/eliquis 

We've been getting a couple of Rxs from Pharmstore, good experiences with them. Highly recommend. Both the meds we get are cheaper than the Part D insurance copay.

Are you confident about the quality and content of what you get from Pharmstore, sushipup? The foreign prescription sources have always seemed somewhat sketchy to me.

The Rxs come straight from the factory, and most factories are in Asia. Ours are from India. We see no difference in efficacy from what we used to get at Walgreen's.

I don't know much about it but I'd wonder if the items were products for local markets versus those subject to the same FDA regulation, monitoring and oversight as products destined for the US. I looked up a few and found several from places like Mauritius. There have been instances of tainted meds or even some not containing the labeled substances. I'm satisfied with the personal costs assigned as my share from my own insurance coverage but if it were less generous, I'm not sure I'd take a chance with these supply sources.

My generic Eliquis is produced in Hyderbad India by Natco Pharma Limited. Regency Pharma in Mauritius dispenses it.

https://www.natcopharma.co.in/

https://regencypharma.com/

Each generic producer needs to submit applications to the FDA before each specific product can be sold in the US and, as above, they're subject to ongoing monitoring and regulation.

Has this generic producer been so approved and is what you buy covered?

I'll believe it when they don't try to weasle out of it ... my pill that is 600 monthly would be a start ....

Who is trying to weasel out of what?

I've been taking Eliquis for about 2 years. The pharmacist at CVS told me recently that there is no generic available for it. The container I have says it's a product of Switzerland. Even after I meet the annual deductible on my Part D, my co-pay is still amazingly expensive. I printed a copy of the Pharmstore page on Eliquis and will talk to my cardiologist about it at my next visit.

DH has been getting his most expensive med from Pharmstore for many months now, thanks to juneroses' endorsement! Rexulti is made by Otsuka LTD. and imported by Otsuka Canada. The tablets come in the same sealed bottle we used to get from a local chain pharmacy. Only the cost is different -- a quarter of the $22/day we paid in the US. It arrives within a week of being ordered. Payment is direct withdrawal from our bank. It's prescribed by DH's psychiatrist, who monitors the effect.

I can't wait to see what 10 drugs Medicare will announce being 'price negotiated' in September! This could mean the end of cheaper meds outside the US, as currently other countries' lower prices are subsidized by the high prices Big Pharma collects in the US.

My expensive Revlimid was developed *from government research* by Glaxo. Their exclusive patent prevented marketing of the generic Lenalidomide for decades until last year. I was wait-listed for the generic in January and am only now getting it. It's still $18,000/month instead of $28,000/month retail. I still pay the whole $7400 annual drug deductible before the OOP drops to $3/month. My insurance still pays the remaining retail. They, not I, reap the benefit of the lower cost.

" I've been taking Eliquis for about 2 years. The pharmacist at CVS told me recently that there is no generic available for it. "

This would seem to end the discussion of the comment above and suggests that the drug from Mauritius has not been approved in the US and its production is not monitored by the FDA. Not a risk many would willingly take.

https://www.eliquis.bmscustomerconnect.com/vte/savings-and-support

1

https://www.eliquis.bmscustomerconnect.com/vte/savings-and-support

Thank you, MDLN.

I'm not sure if this does or doesn't answer the question of the US approval status of the substance coming from a Mauritius mail-order pharmacy.