marion

**Jack** · 07-15-2009, 08:19 PM

I've looked into the problem of drug supply and it seems that the shortage has been engineered by the suppliers!
Drugs are sold at different prices in different countries and Cellcept could be ordered in Britain and sold abroad at a profit. To prevent this (and make sure that they got the profit), the suppliers restricted the supply to cover only the normal British requirement, but of course, they got their numbers a bit wrong!

**Sangye** · 07-16-2009, 01:27 AM

Cellcept is Mycophenolate mofetil, which is a little bit different from the version (not called Cellcept) that some of you were taking in Britain. I don't remember the name. It's so similar, and I think CC just adds the mofetil. I don't think the mofetil-less one is available in the states.

To confuse matters, there is now a generic Cellcept. Like all generics, it goes only by the chemical name : Mycophenolate mofetil.

I'm always leery of generics, though it's usually more of an issue for drugs that require precision balance-- anticoagulants, seizure meds, etc.... The allowable differences between brand and generic can really throw a person off. And generic versions are made by many different companies, so each refill might be a bit different. I'm not sure it would matter for CC, since it has such a big effect in the body, not a minute one.

**pberggren1** · 07-17-2009, 09:50 AM

I'm glad You found us Marion. I am also 33. I know there is a good WG doctor in Calgary, Alberta that is from Scotland. I think his last name is McGlachlan. Not sure on the spelling. Hopefully everything is going good for you. I've been on Cellcept since January and am on 500mg x 3 twice a day.

**JohnL** · 07-19-2009, 02:26 AM

I have excelent health insurance but recently I ordered cellcept from express scripts and the price came up $966.00 for 3 month supply !!!! I am 81 and retired and can't pay that much so my doc put me mycoph- It amazes me how many doctors have no knowledge of this disease. My GP kept sending me to heart and lung docs. wish you luck Marion and I agree with Sangye about the Weg specilist

**Sangye** · 07-19-2009, 03:22 AM

John, $966 for a 3-month supply seems pretty low. That's barely higher than the price for a 1-month supply. Of course, it depends on your dose. The usual dose is 2,000 mg/ day, and 3,000 mg/ day is the highest they can go without risking bone marrow failure. At 2,000 mg, I was paying about $850 each month.

Doug · 07-19-2009, 04:58 AM

Originally Posted by mars19750

Hi im Marion and I am 33 years old and i was diagnosed in dec 2006 after a gruling 5 months of operations an tests to find out what was wrong . I have been in remission now for 1 year but have been told I will have to stay on medication for the rest of my life. I am very lucky I have a great Consultant who looks after me and has got the medication spot on first time. I have not came across any one else with this disease even at my clinics so it was great to find this forum to see what other people have gone through.

It is great to have this forum! Welcome to it, and know that it is possible to run across another Weggie, but it seems dauting at best to try. It's a wonderful thing to see and hear another person who actually understands what our disease is about!

**RCOSSIO** · 07-19-2009, 08:50 AM

Wow....i Just Can't Believe How Expensive It Is...i Am Grateful I Only Have A Co-pay Of $50 So I Am Amaze How Costly These Drugs Really Are. My Heart Goes Out To Those Who Can Ill Afford This Medication When It Is Lifesaver For Many Of Us!

Doug · 07-19-2009, 09:01 AM

Incredible, isn't it? I don't know what will come out of the Obama Revolution, but one can hope it is better than what we have now in the USA. There are so many variations on what one has to pay, but the bottom buck is the guy with the money pays the least for drugs, if the most for insurance covering drugs. Or something like that. Beyond that statement, there's a strong risk I will go into a political rant from the left, center, or right against the right, center, or left. Ha!