How Much Does Femara Cost?
Femera, the branded version of the generic, letrozole, is a prescription-based tablet designed to block the production of estrogen and used as a way to help treat breast cancer as well.
Taken orally, this aromatase inhibitor suppresses estrogen, helping induce ovulation, essentially increasing the chances of a pregnancy as well as help with other conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and anovulation.
How much does Femara cost?
If your doctor to prescribe Femara, the pharmacy will always fill the generic version, letrozole, unless your doctor specifically states on the prescription to fill as a brand only. For this reason, we will focus on both the costs of the generic and the branded version for comparison purposes.
Dosage | Reported Price (without insurance) | |
---|---|---|
Letrozole | 2.5 MG | - 30 tablets: $15 - 60 tablets: $19 - 90 tablets: $23 |
Femara | 2.5 MG | - 30 tablets: $725 - 60 tablets: $1,450 - 90 tablets: $2,100 |
As for health insurance, your health insurance company will more than likely only cover the generic version since the branded version, as you can see in the table above, is often 30 times more than that of the generic. As long as you’re prescribed the generic version, letrozole, then there’s a good chance your insurance carrier, including Medicare, will cover it, only leaving you responsible for your co-pay and meeting your deductible. Reported co-pay costs for insured patients seemed to be within the $0 to $30 range, all depending on your policy.
How to save on Femara
The Novartis Universal Co-Pay card: The official manufacturer, Novartis, offers a discounted co-pay card for patients who do qualify, and if you’re prescribed the branded version and cannot afford the costs, then this co-pay card could decrease the costs to as little as $0 per fill, with a maximum savings of $15,000 a year. This program, as per the fine print, is intended for commercially insured patients only, and to see if you qualify for the card, you can do so by registering on the official website at Kisqali.com.
Patient Assistance Programs: A variety of assistance programs, including Rx Outreach Medications, the HealthWell Foundation, and Patient Access Network Foundation, all can help you with this medication, even if you have health insurance. To qualify for most of these programs, they will ask that you meet certain income requirements, have limited or no health insurance and have a prescription/disease diagnosis that they currently cover. These are just a select few of the many organizations out there that may be able to help pay for your costly medications if you feel you cannot afford it.
Femara overview
Femara is used to treat certain types of breast cancers for women who have stopped menstruating and can also be used for women who already had other cancer treatments as well. As female hormones occur naturally in the body, this, unfortunately, can increase the growth of some breast cancers. With Femara, however, it can work by decreasing these hormones in the body.
The dosage amounts do vary from patient to patient, but for most, your doctor will more than likely prescribe 2.5 milligrams once a day. Always read the medication booklet and always follow your doctor’s orders, never taking more, less or stopping without consulting with your doctor first.
What is Femara?
Femara will work to suppress aromatase, which will help reduce the estrogen levels by prompting the brain and the pituitary gland to increase the amount of the follicle stimulating hormone as this hormone is responsible for stimulating the follicles to form in the ovaries which are essentially released through ovulation, increasing the number and the frequency of the eggs being released. This increase in eggs can then increase the chances of a successful conception.
Femara side effects
Side effects may include an increased level of cholesterol, hot flashes, increased sweating, night sweats, fatigue, pain in the joints, blurred vision, nausea, headaches and/or a bloating sensation. This is not a full list of all side effects; for a full list, refer to this FDA documentation. As always, if you feel any uncomfortable side effects, talk with your doctor immediately.
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