Amevive payment strategy spurs coverage concerns: most psoriasis patients are relying on physicians to acquire the drug for them. (Too High a Price?).

Publication: Skin & Allergy News

Publication Date: 01-JUN-03

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COPYRIGHT 2003 International Medical News Group

Dermatologists are thinking twice about prescribing an expensive new biologic agent for psoriasis that requires them to pay for the drug up front-and wait for the insurer to reimburse them.

Alefacept was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in January for adult patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. Biogen Inc. began marketing alefacept (Amevive) in the beginning of February, promising effective results with fewer side effects than conventional psoriasis medications.

One potential downside is Amevive's cost: about $12,000 for a 12-week course of treatment. While a small number of patients are getting the drug through a pharmacy benefit, most are relying on their physicians to acquire it directly from third-party distributors.

"It's a different way of doing things, especially with a new drug," Dr. Henry Roenigk Jr., a dermatologist in Phoenix, Ariz., told this newspaper. "This isn't going to be like Botox [botulinum toxin type A]--something you can markup appropriately-- where the patient pays cash and there's no insurer involved."

The injectable drug is admin istered in the physician's office, but patients can go for several weeks or months between treatments. Amevive...

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