Thread: Low platelets
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  #17  
Old Mon Jan 3, 2011, 07:24 PM
akita akita is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 110
Bepob,

>I don't think so hon. right now if it weren't for his medicare and other insurance he would not be able to afford his transfusions. novembers bill alone was right at 30k. that is for blood and plts only!
outrageous if you ask me. not sure Dad would even consider it if it were free though.[/quote]

look, if your father tried to get Promacta just by the way forum member Kirby Stone did (see the link which Birgitta provided) and would get it and in the case it helps him, this could safe some money for platelet transfusions,when your father would not need these transfusions any more with an increased platelet count through Promacta (or Nplate). Maybe the chance of saving costs could motivate him to agree to a further treatment which he needs now. The prize of e.g. Promacta, even if not cheap, might be lower than that of the numerous platelet transfusions!

This could be an argument for you to argue with the "other insurance" of your father: if they would not agree to pay promacta/nplate your father would have no chance coming off the more expensive platelet transfusions..

I don`t know the special regulations valid for your insurances - you also have a private one, as you wrote, but as Promacta is not an investigational drug, is not given by extended access, but due to a FDA approval, your insurances probably have to pay in that case? . Promacta is approved by FDA only for ITP. But perhaps your father has got this indication too? Talk to his doctors concerning this detail. In not accepting platelets there is a severe immune component and a read from cases who where diagnosed for both : MDS and ITP (...?)

(Why are you sure that your father is high-risk MDS patient?)

Kind regards,

Margarete
__________________
Margarete, 54, living in Vienna, Austria,
MDS/AML M2, diagnosed 9/2007, then Chemos, aSZT 4/2008, chronic GVHD

Last edited by akita : Mon Jan 3, 2011 at 07:48 PM.
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