Pancreaze - Update

[hmw]

Pancreaze

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>Ratatosk</b></i>
<br />According to our insurance formular listing, these are the only ones available -- 3 discontinued, 2 generics and one approved about a year ago. Zenpep isn't listed either. Grrrr!
<br />
<br />
<br />CREON - pancrelipase delayed-release caps
<br />LIPRAM UL - pancrelipase delayed-release caps
<br />PANCREASE MT - pancrelipase delayed-release caps
<br />PANCRELIPASE tabs, 30-8-30
<br />ULTRASE/MT - pancrelipase delayed-release caps
<br />VIOKASE - pancrelipase powder, tabs</end quote>
<br />Sounds like a formulary they released for 2010... obviously at the beginning of the year, before all the changes took place. They need to update it just a little!!
<br />
<br />Oh that's inexcusable, what that social worker told you when Max was born. Think of all the money you could have saved on copays, deductibles, etc... CF is an expensive disease. You should have been able to make use of that program while you had opportunity to do so and it's part of their JOB to know about things like that! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif" border="0">

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

This list was updated July 2010. Crazy isn't it? Especially since Zenpep was approved last fall and made available earlier this year.

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

This list was updated July 2010. Crazy isn't it? Especially since Zenpep was approved last fall and made available earlier this year.

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

This list was updated July 2010. Crazy isn't it? Especially since Zenpep was approved last fall and made available earlier this year.

 

[hmw]

Pancreaze

Oh you have got to be kidding me...!! Ultrase, Viokase and Pancrease were all discontinued by then and are still ON the list, and Zenpep and Pancreaze (the EXACT same med chemically as Pancrease!) are not on there?! I will never understand what goes through their minds...

 

[hmw]

Pancreaze

Oh you have got to be kidding me...!! Ultrase, Viokase and Pancrease were all discontinued by then and are still ON the list, and Zenpep and Pancreaze (the EXACT same med chemically as Pancrease!) are not on there?! I will never understand what goes through their minds...

 

[hmw]

Pancreaze

Oh you have got to be kidding me...!! Ultrase, Viokase and Pancrease were all discontinued by then and are still ON the list, and Zenpep and Pancreaze (the EXACT same med chemically as Pancrease!) are not on there?! I will never understand what goes through their minds...

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

I can't be the only one having this issue as I just looked at another state's formulary list and it's pretty similar.

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

I can't be the only one having this issue as I just looked at another state's formulary list and it's pretty similar.

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

I can't be the only one having this issue as I just looked at another state's formulary list and it's pretty similar.

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

DH called BCBS yesterday and explained the situation and the rep visited with a pharmacist on their staff. They were apparently unaware there were new enzymes. Obviously being they've got Pancrease MTs still listed as a formulary. Ugh! However, the pharmacist responsible for reviewing the drugs for formulary/non-formulary status was out of the office.

So today he got a call indicating the committee was reviewing it today and they'd call him back tomorrow, but "BTW, had he considered trying Creon". He explained after two surgeries and digestive concerns, we weren't too keen on trying something new (especially after hearing concerns from christian and others on this site).

So we'll see if we hear from them tomorrow. And I can't see how it can be a $$ issue for them, because apparently the cost for creon is the same as Pancreaze, wheras zenpep is a tad bit pricier.

What irks me is last year BCBS caused major issues for a friend of mine when her daughter was switched to creon and she had to borrow money from her parents to come up with the ENTIRE amount ($4000 for a 3 month supply) because it was still listed as a nonformulary last fall. Sigh!

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

DH called BCBS yesterday and explained the situation and the rep visited with a pharmacist on their staff. They were apparently unaware there were new enzymes. Obviously being they've got Pancrease MTs still listed as a formulary. Ugh! However, the pharmacist responsible for reviewing the drugs for formulary/non-formulary status was out of the office.

So today he got a call indicating the committee was reviewing it today and they'd call him back tomorrow, but "BTW, had he considered trying Creon". He explained after two surgeries and digestive concerns, we weren't too keen on trying something new (especially after hearing concerns from christian and others on this site).

So we'll see if we hear from them tomorrow. And I can't see how it can be a $$ issue for them, because apparently the cost for creon is the same as Pancreaze, wheras zenpep is a tad bit pricier.

What irks me is last year BCBS caused major issues for a friend of mine when her daughter was switched to creon and she had to borrow money from her parents to come up with the ENTIRE amount ($4000 for a 3 month supply) because it was still listed as a nonformulary last fall. Sigh!

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

DH called BCBS yesterday and explained the situation and the rep visited with a pharmacist on their staff. They were apparently unaware there were new enzymes. Obviously being they've got Pancrease MTs still listed as a formulary. Ugh! However, the pharmacist responsible for reviewing the drugs for formulary/non-formulary status was out of the office.
<br />
<br />So today he got a call indicating the committee was reviewing it today and they'd call him back tomorrow, but "BTW, had he considered trying Creon". He explained after two surgeries and digestive concerns, we weren't too keen on trying something new (especially after hearing concerns from christian and others on this site).
<br />
<br />So we'll see if we hear from them tomorrow. And I can't see how it can be a $$ issue for them, because apparently the cost for creon is the same as Pancreaze, wheras zenpep is a tad bit pricier.
<br />
<br />What irks me is last year BCBS caused major issues for a friend of mine when her daughter was switched to creon and she had to borrow money from her parents to come up with the ENTIRE amount ($4000 for a 3 month supply) because it was still listed as a nonformulary last fall. Sigh!

 

[hmw]

Pancreaze

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>What irks me is last year BCBS caused major issues for a friend of mine when her daughter was switched to creon and she had to borrow money from her parents to come up with the ENTIRE amount ($4000 for a 3 month supply) because it was still listed as a nonformulary last fall. Sigh!</end quote></div>
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! That is crazy! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif" border="0"> I am so glad we didn't run into that kind of crap when it was approved. We filled old Creon 10 up through last July, were told 'check with your pharmacy to see if they'll have the new version available by August 1st or be sure to refill your old script by July 31st'; our pharmacy had the new stuff ordered for us by August 1st, insurance covered it without a problem, never a problem since. As has been obvious in the year since then with this enzyme disaster, we were clearly very fortunate.

What do these paper pushers do all day? It is their JOB to know what drugs are out there if they are going to put these formularies out... the thing was put out in JULY, not JANUARY (where you could excuse it, since the changes hadn't yet gone through...) And you can be sure your dh wasn't the first person to contact them about this too- so 'we didn't know' just doesn't fly as an excuse.

(As price comparison, Emily's Creon12 is just about exactly $2/pill, getting filled at Rite Aid>>> not sure how their price compares to other places or if insurance actually reimburses them in full, but that's what they charge.)

 

[hmw]

Pancreaze

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>What irks me is last year BCBS caused major issues for a friend of mine when her daughter was switched to creon and she had to borrow money from her parents to come up with the ENTIRE amount ($4000 for a 3 month supply) because it was still listed as a nonformulary last fall. Sigh!</end quote>
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! That is crazy! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif" border="0"> I am so glad we didn't run into that kind of crap when it was approved. We filled old Creon 10 up through last July, were told 'check with your pharmacy to see if they'll have the new version available by August 1st or be sure to refill your old script by July 31st'; our pharmacy had the new stuff ordered for us by August 1st, insurance covered it without a problem, never a problem since. As has been obvious in the year since then with this enzyme disaster, we were clearly very fortunate.

What do these paper pushers do all day? It is their JOB to know what drugs are out there if they are going to put these formularies out... the thing was put out in JULY, not JANUARY (where you could excuse it, since the changes hadn't yet gone through...) And you can be sure your dh wasn't the first person to contact them about this too- so 'we didn't know' just doesn't fly as an excuse.

(As price comparison, Emily's Creon12 is just about exactly $2/pill, getting filled at Rite Aid>>> not sure how their price compares to other places or if insurance actually reimburses them in full, but that's what they charge.)

 

[hmw]

Pancreaze

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>What irks me is last year BCBS caused major issues for a friend of mine when her daughter was switched to creon and she had to borrow money from her parents to come up with the ENTIRE amount ($4000 for a 3 month supply) because it was still listed as a nonformulary last fall. Sigh!</end quote>
<br />OH MY GOODNESS!!!! That is crazy! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif" border="0"> I am so glad we didn't run into that kind of crap when it was approved. We filled old Creon 10 up through last July, were told 'check with your pharmacy to see if they'll have the new version available by August 1st or be sure to refill your old script by July 31st'; our pharmacy had the new stuff ordered for us by August 1st, insurance covered it without a problem, never a problem since. As has been obvious in the year since then with this enzyme disaster, we were clearly very fortunate.
<br />
<br />What do these paper pushers do all day? It is their JOB to know what drugs are out there if they are going to put these formularies out... the thing was put out in JULY, not JANUARY (where you could excuse it, since the changes hadn't yet gone through...) And you can be sure your dh wasn't the first person to contact them about this too- so 'we didn't know' just doesn't fly as an excuse.
<br />
<br />(As price comparison, Emily's Creon12 is just about exactly $2/pill, getting filled at Rite Aid>>> not sure how their price compares to other places or if insurance actually reimburses them in full, but that's what they charge.)

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

Just heard back from BCBS and were told that they have "no intention of adding Pancreaze to their list of formulary drugs". However we can file an exemption...

Put a call into the doctor, who won't be in until Friday. Will see how strongly he feels about the whole situation and go from there.

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

Just heard back from BCBS and were told that they have "no intention of adding Pancreaze to their list of formulary drugs". However we can file an exemption...

Put a call into the doctor, who won't be in until Friday. Will see how strongly he feels about the whole situation and go from there.

 

[Ratatosk]

Pancreaze

Just heard back from BCBS and were told that they have "no intention of adding Pancreaze to their list of formulary drugs". However we can file an exemption...
<br />
<br />Put a call into the doctor, who won't be in until Friday. Will see how strongly he feels about the whole situation and go from there.

 

[CathyM]

Be careful when starting Pancreaze. Changing from Pancrease to Pancreaze caused a blockage with my daughter (within 24 hours of starting the new medication). The formulary cannot be the same between the 2 meds.