Why is cyclosporine so expensive?

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asked Oct 6, 2023 in Other- Health by FuaseKendo (2,100 points)
Why is cyclosporine so expensive?

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answered Oct 14, 2023 by wideopendoor (9,610 points)
Cyclosporine is so expensive because there is no competition of Cyclosporine.

When there's no competition for a medication or drug then the price can go up for a certain medication or drug.

A generic form of a medication cannot be made until the patent on the original drug expires which is usually within 10 years although it can sometimes take longer.

The average cost for 1 Plas Cont, 60 emulsion each of cyclosporine is $618.99.

You can buy cyclosporine at the discounted price of $162.18 by using a WebMDRx coupon, a savings of 74%.

Even if this drug is covered by Medicare or your insurance, it's recommended that you compare prices.

Cyclosporine is a very strong medicine.

The medicine cyclosporine can cause side effects that can be very serious, such as kidney problems.

Cyclosporine may also decrease the body's ability to fight infections.

You and your doctor should talk about the benefits of this medicine as well as the risks of using it.

The FDA recommends cyclosporine not be used for longer than one year.

However, there are no specific guidelines for how long you should stay off cyclosporine before resuming treatment.

Some doctors may prescribe the drug for more than one year.

While using cyclosporine you should avoid excessive intake of high potassium foods (bananas, oranges, orange juice, potatoes, spinach, etc).

Do not eat grapefruits, grapefruit juice or any soda (Fresca) or fruit juice blend that contains grapefruit juice.

Grapefruit can increase your levels of cyclosporine to a potentially toxic level.

Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressive agent used to treat organ rejection post-transplant.

It also has use in certain other autoimmune diseases, treatment of organ rejection in kidney, liver, and heart allogeneic transplants, rheumatoid arthritis when the condition has not adequately responded to methotrexate.

Cyclosporine works by suppressing the immune system to prevent the white blood cells from trying to get rid of the transplanted organ.

Cyclosporine is also used to treat severe rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have failed treatment with methotrexate.

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