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Medication Costs?

Posted , 4 users are following.

kara89012
kara89012

My husband has used Enbrel for his psoriasis for the past 6 years after topical creams and lotions stopped being effective. We are moving from the US to the UK early next year and are concerned about what the cost of his medication will be. We will have private medical insurance on top of the NHS but since we are not yet subscribers we have been unable to get a straight answer on the prescription coverage . Does anyone have any information on the costs of Enbrel prescriptions in the UK?

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • MrsP1968
    MrsP1968 kara89012

    Posted

    We were told Humira cost the NHS £10,000 per year per patient. It's delivered to your door monthly. My daughter had to go through lots of medication and get funding from NICE. That's as much as I can say except neither was/is prescribed for my daughters psoriasis but for her psoriatic arthritis. Good luck! She has methotrexate for psoriasis, best treatment she ever had was a course of UVB. Rs Sam
  • MrsP1968
    MrsP1968 kara89012

    Posted

    Forgot to say she on Enbrel now.
    • kara89012
      kara89012 MrsP1968

      Posted

      Thank you so much for the information!  With the funding from NICE, what was your out of pocket cost?  I apologize as I know things work a bit differently in the US vs UK.  My husband also had to try a few other drugs before he was approved for Enbrel.  I'm hoping his medical history will allow him to skip that in the UK.
  • MrsP1968
    MrsP1968 kara89012

    Posted

    It's the NHS; it's free. Prescriptions are charged at a flat rate of around £8.00 per item but I pay £10.40 for 10 months a year and it covers all my prescriptions. My husband is diabetic so all his are free and my daughters are also free. In reality it's not all 'free' as we pay national insurance contributions. I hope your husband gets things sorted. Please don't hesitate to ask me questions, it's been and continues to be a rough road for my daughter but her care has been excellent. Rs Sam
  • irinaID
    irinaID kara89012

    Posted

    Hello,

    I will soon be moving to UK from US for a year, with my EU citizen husband. I wonder, what was your husband's experience with NHS and Enbrel over the last year? I've been on Humira for the last 6 years, after 10 years of struggling with debilitating effects of PA and UC, and it works very well. Is it true what I read about NHS guidelines for biologics, - that patient has to be on two less expensive drug therapies for at least 12 weeks each, and only then biologics prescription can be approved? 

     

    • kara89012
      kara89012 irinaID

      Posted

      It unfortunately took quite a bit of time to get his medications sorted.  We have private insurance as well so he went through both the NHS as well as a private dermatologist.  The dermatologist said the problem is that many NHS derms are not experienced in biologics so they do not prescribe them.  She wrote a recommendation to the NHS derm and he has since been able to get Enbrel through the NHS.  You may have an easier experience as his psoriasis is only topical so it was initially viewed by the NHS as cosmetic.
  • gokiddo
    gokiddo kara89012

    Posted

    Hello

    I too used to live in the US, so I undestand where you are coming from. I would try to get in touch with your local NHS trust (to whatever address you will be based from) to make them aware of your situation before you leave the US.

    Biologic therapy is available on the NHS (and so you will only have to pay for the fixed-rate charge of just under £8.00 per prescription). However, NICE, who make recommendations to the NHS on prescribing have basically advised that biologics are a "last resort" therapy after everything else has been exhaused (PUVA, oral medications etc) - this is probably due to their cost.

    I think if I were in your position I would try to get as much information from the current dermatologist that you use about your husband's medical history and the treatments he has had in the past. I think if you go "well-armed" to the hospital here you should encounter too great a problem - especially as he has already been on it for so long. Good luck!

    Oh, yes, it might be possible for him to get it privately here through the insurance you have. But they tend to be quite strict about pre-existing conditions and you may have to pay substantially more as a co-payment, if you decide to go down that route.

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