Ibrance usage: worth it or not?

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Met with oncologist about treating my now ER+/PR- HER - breast cancer on my sacrum. He recommended taking Palbociclib/Ibrance along with Xgeva and Arimidex. Found out that a 21 day supply of Palbociclib sells for $13,000. A 21 day supply for a drug that won't kill the cancer, but stop its growth. Question is: has any one had success with Palbociclib? If so, how long should it be taken beyond 21 days?

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  • GG27
    GG27 Member Posts: 2,128
    edited December 2021

    21 days/7 off is a cycle. You take until it doesn't work anymore. I was on it for 30 cycles. Pretty easy drug to take, I had to dose reduce to 100mg because 150 was too much for me. Apparently there is funding available in the US, but I can't tell you how to access as I'm in Canada. Perhaps someone will chime in to help you out with that.

  • moth
    moth Member Posts: 4,800
    edited December 2021

    There is a very long ibrance thread here where you can read about how people are doing on the drug. I suspect people there will also have tips on how to access reduced cost options.

    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/...

    most of us stay on treatment for as long as it works. When it stops working , we move to the next treatment line, and so on until we run out of treatments.

    Cdk4/6 inhibitors like palbociclib have improved survival times for many er+ pts. Pretty groundbreaking drug.


  • cowgal
    cowgal Member Posts: 833
    edited December 2021

    Here is the Pfizer Ibrance website: https://www.ibrance.com/?src_code=IBRW10028851&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqbyNBhC2ARIsALDwAsCI6BNxgIJLyisbAVhnrg7ZcO9xvPa4Bf3g6yC50yXu5kjCX9MINBUaAu94EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds . It has links to financial information on Ibrance. Like Moth said, you need to join us on the Ibrance thread in the stage 4 area. Next week, I think I’ll be starting cycle 22 with Ibrance and I have been NEAD since July of 2020.

  • candy-678
    candy-678 Member Posts: 3,950
    edited December 2021

    Lotus- As others have said here, you need to understand that you would be on Ibrance until it stops working and the cancer progresses. Then you go onto another drug. You can get financial assistance for the medicine in the United States. My co-pay was $35 a month for most of my time on the med. Then, toward the end, I was on a different insurance plan and my co-pay for the Ibrance was $0. You get a 21 day supply each month, because you take it for 21 days then do not take it for 7 days out of the month. I was on Ibrance for 4 years. No, it did not "cure" the cancer, but it gave me those 4 years. Now, due to the cancer growing, I am on another medicine. But, Ibrance was well worth it for the 4 years more of life I got.

  • Rosie24
    Rosie24 Member Posts: 1,046
    edited December 2021

    I’ve been on Ibrance and Letrozole for almost 3 years and have never paid a penny for the Ibrance. Pfizer has copay assistance as linked by Cowgal. It’s worked well for me and I hope to stay on it. There are occasional posts about people who are on just the hormone blocker (AI) but most of us take a targeted therapy along with the AI. The PFS with the hormone blocker is found to be lengthened by the targeted therapy. Good luck to you

  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited December 2021

    lotus,

    Because I have survived progression free* for so long, long before Ibrance was approved, I have only been on AI's. I suspect that when I have progression, Ibrance or Verzenio would be tx options which I would gladly take as at stage IV, the reality is that we stay on treatments as long as they continue working and then move on to something else. Nothing that we currently use will cure mbc, nothing so we just try to get as much time out of a given tx as we can. As for the expense, between insurance and assistance programs from the manufacturer, you should not have to worry about the cost. Take care.

    * I am atypical and since the approval of Ibrance, very few mo’s would prescribe an AI only. I once asked about adding Ibrance but my mo asked why would I want to add another drug when the one I was currently taking is keeping things at bay. Good point but again, I am an exceptional responder for reasons unknown. If I were dx’ed today, I would take Ibrance without hesitation.

  • Spookiesmom
    Spookiesmom Member Posts: 9,568
    edited December 2021

    And it’s a pill, much easier for most of us than IV chemo. Yes, there can be side effects, what med doesn’t? Most are tolerable. You would start at 150 mg, maybe drop to 100 or 75 mg. I’m another who has a $0.00 copay for it. I’ve been on it almost 2 years.

  • Sunshine99
    Sunshine99 Member Posts: 1,680
    edited December 2021

    I just finished cycle #19 of Ibrance. Started at 125 and then dropped to 100 after four cycles, due to low ANC and white blood cell counts. Have never paid a penny. Co-pay is supposedly $75.00, but that is covered by Pfizer. No questions or inquiries into our income. When I read the insurance EOBs, they list the price as anywhere between $14K to $22K per cycle. Yikes!

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