WOW that is outrageous! I check mine every month... (keep a running tally as to how much the insurance pays out).... Ty infusions are around $5800 total costs. Which is cheaper than the 6400 they paid each time I needed IVSM. In total last year my ins co paid out more than $64,900.00. Of that, over $40,000 was for MS treatments, check ups, and MRIs. Unfortunately once my Cobra runs out, I am up a creek without a paddle. Last time I looked into purchasing a policy it was over $700 a month, I am sure it is going to be higher now.

Cost Effectiveness and budget impact of Tysabri for formulary inclusion...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...m&ordinalpos=6

Wow. I'm just shocked at those prices! I know we have had this conversation before. What stuns and upsets me is the incredible variation in terms of how the drug is dispensed and infused and what people must ultimately pay out of pocket. I buy my Tysabri through my Rx plan so my insurance plan pays out the $2399. Then I have to pay my Rx co-pay which is reasonable since is is not through "medical." Then the specialty pharmacy ships my Tysabri vial to the doctor's office. Then my doctor bills my insurance for $498 to infuse the thing. I pay my doctor visit co-pay to have them infuse. I feel lucky.

Those infusion clinics are making a killing. There is just something so wrong with that.

Well now I'm going every other month so it will be even cheaper. I just remembered I have to make sure my specialty pharmacy doesn't keep sending it once a month or I will end up with extra vials.

...and I feel lucky too! I pay my insurance premium, show up at my local 25 bed hospital for infusion once a month, see the doc every three months and revel in no relapses, no copay for the whole cost since it's covered under major medical (and NO injections), despite what I see as a high cost for the insurance company ~BUT~ I know there are people who use the same place who have no insurance and cannot afford to pay and they still get their infusion, and I know I am supporting them and I don't mind that. I think everyone who is ill or has a disease deserves effective treatment, regardless of their ability to pay...but that gets us into the debate for health care as a right, not a privilege...

I really hope that is the case RW! I don't mind supporting either. I am just thinking of Victor H. who had to stop Tysabri because he just couldn't afford it anymore--part of the problem I think was the excessive cost of the infusion clinics in his area.

31 PML cases as of Jan 12, 2010. No significant changes in the incidence rate after 24 infusions.

Would you share where you got the info ?

http://chefarztfrau.de/?page_id=716

They've updated the chart.

A little more data

"So far, 19 cases have been detected in Europe, 10 cases in the United States. Two other cases have been detected elsewhere, according to Biogen officials. "

Also 8 of the 31 PML Patients have died.

The infusion center I go to has 10 recliners for the patients receiving chemo or Ty. I don't know if they infusion anything else......they refer to it as "the chemo room". The drs are oncologist. My Ty infusions cost between $5500 and $6000 per infusion depending on whether or not they draw blood and I talk to the dr. I'm lucky that I only have to pay the $25 co-pay for a visit to a specialist. But, my monthly medical insurance is $900 It's hurting us financially but I refuse to give up my medical insurance. They can't kick me out because this is covered under my husband's plan and he is "grandfathered" into their insurance policy If I give this up I'm not sure that any other insurance will take me. Ty is expensive!!!!!!!!!!

When I went for my last infusion there was a Ty patient there that I had not seen in a very long time. She told me that she couldn't afford her medical insurance last year so she had to go without the infusions. She's back in a wheelchair now She's really hoping that once she's had several infusions she'll be able to walk again. Prior to having to stop the infusions she had been on Ty for 2 years.

My next infusion is scheduled for February 19 because I'm trying to wait 6 weeks between infusions. I'm hoping it will decrease my chances of getting PML. The fact that there are now 31 confirmed cases does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling. I hope they have that assay available soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, if I test positive I'm going to hate giving up my Ty.....LOL