Photo by Rhoda Baer
Sun Pharma has announced the US launch of imatinib mesylate tablets, which are a generic version of Novartis’s Gleevec, for indications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
As part of this launch, Sun Pharma has rolled out a savings card program. The goal is to provide greater access to imatinib mesylate tablets for patients who have commercial insurance, but their out-of-pocket cost may exceed an affordable amount.
Sun Pharma’s Imatinib Mesylate Savings Card will reduce patient’s co-payment to $10. The card will also offer patients an additional savings benefit of up to $700 for a 30-day fill to offset any additional out-of-pocket cost should they be required to meet their deductible or co-insurance.
Participating pharmacies across the US can use the patient’s card as part of this program.
Eligible patients can participate in Sun Pharma’s Imatinib Mesylate Savings Card program by registering at www.imatinibrx.com or by requesting a savings card from their oncologist. Sun Pharma will be supplying its Imatinib Mesylate Savings Cards to more than 4500 oncologists.
Sun Pharma has established a Hub service so patients can call and speak with a trained healthcare professional about imatinib mesylate. The number is 1-844-502-5950.
In addition, qualifying patients can receive Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate at no cost. Based on qualifications for applying and including a doctor’s prescription, the Hub service will determine if a patient is qualified to receive imatinib mesylate for free. Upon acceptance, the prescription will be processed and delivered to the qualifying patient at no cost.
Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate was approved by the FDA in December 2015 and was granted 180 days of marketing exclusivity from the time of its launch. The drug is available in 100 mg and 400 mg tablets.
It is approved to treat:
- Newly diagnosed adult and pediatric patients with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in chronic phase
- Patients with Ph+ CML in blast crisis, accelerated phase, or in chronic phase after failure of interferon-alpha therapy
- Adults with relapsed or refractory Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Adults with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative diseases associated with PDGFR gene re-arrangements
- Adults with aggressive systemic mastocytosis without the D816V c-Kit mutation or with c-Kit mutational status unknown
- Adults with hypereosinophilic syndrome and/or chronic eosinophilic leukemia, including those who have the FIP1L1-PDGFRα fusion kinase
- Adult patients with unresectable, recurrent, and/or metastatic dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans.
Sun Pharma’s imatinib mesylate is not approved to treat patients with KIT (CD117)-positive unresectable and/or metastatic malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
