Comment from Sara Colby
AnonymousOtherIndividual
Summary: Dr. Sara L Colby, a physician, expresses frustration regarding Medicare's coverage of Humira and the lack of cost-effective home injection options compared to office infusions. However, her comment focuses on Medicare coverage policies and drug pricing rather than the specific "Master Protocols for Drug and Biological Product Development" guidance.
Before retiring and going on Medicare part D, I was on Humira home injections for over a decade for my Rheumatoid Arthritis at $5 per month via my specialty pharmacy and my employer’s health insurance. Medicare however, will not cover Humira ( WHY NOT?) for me nor the millions of patients who “MUST” use Medicare. Medicare will cover infusions at the doctor’s office of a similar drug… REALLY?<br/>What do you think is more cost effective for biologic shots: at home or going to a doctor’s office to get an infusion? Humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for Rheumatoid Arthritis, psoriasis and is also used for some other diseases too. If Medicare needs and wants to save $$- let us have the medications that used to be available to us via commercial insurance or at a drastic discount. Allow Medicare recipients to continue to use the medications that work for them and take off the discounts for Commercially insured- let Medicare have those discounts too! This is frustrating and wrong.<br/>Sincerely,<br/>Sara L Colby, MD, FAAD