Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Cost of Cyclosporine?

As we all know treating our loved ones for AIHA/PRCA is extremely expensive. We do what we can, if we are financially able to do so. Ollie had a tranfusion today and will get a blood draw tomorrow to see where his numbers are. He seems so chipper and his gums have a nice color to them for the first time in a while. I was talking to the vet about Cyclosporine and she is fine with switching Oliver to Cyclo instead of AZA but, by gosh, I was checking online for an idea of the costs for this medication and if I see correctly it is astronomical. I do not want to put a price on my pups head, but I don't think I can afford to get the cyclosporine on top of everything else and possibly more transfusions. How much is this medication and what am I to do? I want to do everything I can for Oliver, but I am not sure I can afford the cyclosporine. Please help with ideas/thoughts, whatever. Just when I thought everything was looking brighter, I get hit with this....thanks everyone.

Mardi Northern Cali

Hello, I know the cost is scary for this med.My Timmy has responded well to this drug aside from tummy problems.cyclosporine will cause stomach upset so it is a good idea to dicuss with your vet something to give him for possible tummy upset.The best price i have found is at Heartlandvetsupply on the internet.I hope this may be of help to you. Prayers and best wishes, Terry and Timmy

Terry Pa

thanks Terry. I'll check this site out. It's scary alright. Take care of yourself and Timmy.

Mardi Northern Cali

Mardi You are so right it is very costly, check around and maybe a few others will give on tips on finding it cheaper. I have heard Cosco and Walmart prices maybe a little better. The only good thing is once they reach the magic number of 35 and have been holding steady for about a month you will begin to reduce it and what once lasted only a month may last two. I don't think many dogs stay on a high dosage once it begins to take effect. I think Ginger only had about 3 months on the higher dosage then it was gradually lowered and now 11 months later she is only gets one 25mg pill 2x a week. Also when mg's are lowered it will become cheaper to, so if there is anyway you can just hang in there for a couple months the cost will probably go down. Sending our prayes for Timmy, Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

Mardi, I was also very concerned about the cost. My vet told me it was expensive and she suggested we try the Aza first as it was cheaper. We quickly got him off Aza though and onto Atopic. In his case he already had so much liver damage from the pred, that the Aza just was making it worse. The first month or two was a financial crunch as he was on the high doses. Once they start reducing it though you will see your monthly cost go down. It has really been a good drug for my dog to use and has done him alot of good with no visible side effects. It did take him several weeks to adjust though and I remember really questioning if it was doing him good. I find that the larger vet facility in my area has the cheapest price for me. It's something you really have to check around to see as prices can vary widely. Wishing Ollie a speedy recovery. Chris & Alex

Chris Pa

I purchase my cyclosporin directly from the emergency vet clinic that we initially went to. I found it chaeper than any "human" pharmacy in my area. So you may want to look into those type of places in your area My price: Cyclosporin 25mg, 60 count $76.80 Cyclosporin 50mg, 60 count $123 Still not cheap but the other pharmacies wanted about $80 more.

Wendi Ohio

Hi, Go online and google "free drug card" there is a company freedrug card U.S. with a very patriotic looking site. From that site, you print two cards with your dogs name (first and last) and print. Take those cards to costco - you do not have to be a member to use their pharmacy but you might get additional savings if you are) or walmart (each card works at differetn places and together they add up to savings). Go to the pharmacy and when you order show them the card. The pharmacist will be confused, never having seen it before, and it may take 20 minutes - they will call the 800 number on the card to see if it is legitimate etc. They will find it is, and put the info into your dogs account. I got significant savings - one drug was 80 without the card, 30 dollars with it. It depends on the place and the drug. These cards work with humans too - for all kinds of medicine. everyone should have one. Note that they specifically include dogs with this card, so you are NOt pulling a fast one :) Good luck, hang in there, i know it can be expensive. Check out the care card too from your vet. Christine and Kent

Christine Fl

Thank you all very much for your ideas and suggestions.

Mardi Northern Cali

Mardi, what size capsules does your dog need? The best price I found for Atopica is through entirelypets.com, which is located here in the Bay Area. I order it one day and get it the next (depending upon what time of day I make the call). I also have some Atopic that I ordered for Maddie, but which I haven't needed. I'll sell it to you cheap. Someone else on this list did that for me, when I needed it, and what I have now I bought "just in case" and haven't needed it, so the two packages are unopened.

Ruth Aptos

Thank you for the offer Ruth! How very nice of you. I don't know yet what the dosage will be as we are waiting to see what the results are after getting his transfusion last Thursday. We should know tomorrow. I will let you know and keep you in mind. Thank you so much. I talked to my vet about cost and it wasn't as bad as I had initially thought, but still a lot higher than the Aza....I will keep you posted. Thank you......

Mardi Northern Cali

Hi Mardi I think that in the US if you go onto the Novartis site if you are using Atopica on a regular basis then a rebate can be given to the pet owner - unfortunately for us in the UK when I rang Novartis here the rebate is only for the vet treating the pet. However, when I mentioned this to my vet she said that when she contacts Novartis if she receives a rebate on the medication she will pass it on to me. I think in the US there are also websites which offer help to pet owners who cannot afford expensive treatments for their beloved pets - so check this out too! You are so lucky we don't get anything like this in the UK. In the meantime, I have been on a website called www.petmeds.co.uk and they are literally half the price of the vet medication, i.e. Vet price £36.00 - Pet med price £16.55 (obviously you will have to convert this into dollars) but you can see the savings made by looking online. Hope this helps - we need every penny to help fight this terrible illness. Take care kind regards Gill & Phoebe

gill uk

Yes, Gill is correct if you google "atopica rebate" I talked with them today and there is no limit to the number of times you can get the rebate. I sent in for my first rebate finially today. You must send in yur receipt as well as the UPC from the atopica box. Here are the details Please select the rebate that matches your ATOPICA purchase. ❑ $5 Rebate (valid for purchase of 2 boxes 10 mg size ATOPICA) ❑ $7 Rebate (valid for purchase of 2 boxes 25 mg size ATOPICA) ❑ $10 Rebate (valid for purchase of 2 boxes 50 mg size ATOPICA) ❑ $15 Rebate (valid for purchase of 2 boxes 100 mg size ATOPICA) 2. Complete this form and send it to Novartis Animal Health US, Inc., Rebate Redemption Center, P.O. Box 413904, Kansas City, MO 64141-3904, along with: • The receipt from your veterinary clinic (please circle the cost of ATOPICA). • The bar code from both of your boxes of ATOPICA. If you have any questions regarding the acceptance of this offer, please call toll free 1-800-361-9948. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer valid only by mail. Valid only with purchase from your veterinarian. On-line purchases are not valid. Void where prohibited by law. Purchase must be made between February 1, 2009, and April 30, 2010. Rebate submission must be postmarked by July 31, 2010. Purchase must include at least two (2) packs of ATOPICA capsules. Please allow 4-6 weeks processing time.

Wendi Ohio

Dear Wendi thank you for confirming the rebate information I'm sure it will help a lot of forum members when they are going thru a particularly hard time re: finances. I wonder if you know if people in the UK can send their receipts and information to the USA is this at all possible? It is, I guess, the same company worldwide? look forward to hearing your advice - wonder if you should put your information as a new thread so that lots of people who may have missed it can find out about rebates? Kindest regards Gill & Phoebe

gill uk

Hello Gill, it does not say it applies to US only, I can call the 1-800 number today and post what I find out.

Wendi Ohio

This thread was discussed between 21/08/2009 and 25/08/2009

Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index

This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.