Cellcept Support Resource

The following information was sent via email, I thought I would share this, as Cellcepts patent has expired and a new generic has been released.  My insurance company sent me the generic, I was told I would have to go in for blood work at least once a week for a few months to make sure the generic was having the same effect as Cellcept.  However, in some cases if your doctor contacts your insurance company and requests that you remain on Cellcept your insurance may not change you to the generic.  The following information from ROCHE may be helpful. 7/7/2009 

Dear UNKNOWN:

Thank you for participating in the CellCept for Living program. It is always our goal to provide you with useful tips, educational resources and cost-savings programs that help you, as a transplant recipient, stay healthy and live well. As a valued member of a select community, we’re pleased to introduce a new benefit to help you in the years ahead.

Introducing CellCept Reimbursement Support Services
This new, free, easy-to-use service can help you obtain answers to questions about your prescription drug coverage for CellCept. With the potential availability of a generic version of CellCept after May 3, 2009, this service will help you in your efforts to receive coverage for brand name CellCept.

Call CellCept Reimbursement Support Services toll-free at 1-888-754-7651
Our reimbursement experts will review your insurance benefits to determine

  Your specific co-payment for CellCept
  If you need to get approval from your insurance plan
    Some insurance plans may require that you get approval from them (called a prior authorization)
before they will pay for brand name CellCept
  Eligibility for a CellCept Coupon Card
    The Coupon Card may reduce your out-of-pocket expenses by a maximum of $100 toward every CellCept prescription and refill through December 31, 2009
 
This service is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Eastern Time.Please remember to have your personal insurance information, Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance cards available when you call. Reimbursement experts will have a completed benefit investigation to you within 2 business days.While every effort is made to provide helpful information, Roche makes no representations about the eligibility or guarantee of
coverage or reimbursement for any particular claim. Roche cannot guarantee success in obtaining third-party insurance
reimbursement. Third-party coverage and payment for medical products and services is complex and affected by numerous factors. It is always a provider’s responsibility to determine and submit the appropriate codes, charges and modifiers for services that are rendered. Providers should contact third-party payors for specific information on their coding, coverage and payment policies. All coding and claims used by a provider in seeking reimbursement must be accurate, complete and adequately documented in the applicable patient record. All services must be medically appropriate.

If your doctor decides brand name CellCept is right for you, please take an active role to help ensure you receive CellCept every month.
  Ensure the pharmacist enters the Dispense As Written (DAW) code into the computer system
  Always be sure to check your medicine before you leave the pharmacy to ensure your prescription has been filled correctly
  Eligible transplant recipients should use the CellCept Coupon Card to save on out-of-pocket expenses

 

  
 

Indications:

CellCept® (mycophenolate mofetil) is given to people who have received kidney, heart or liver transplants in order to prevent rejection, a process where the immune system perceives the new organ as a “foreign” threat and attacks it.
CellCept, an immunosuppressant medication, is taken along with other antirejection drugs. Please follow your doctor’s exact instructions for taking CellCept and all other medications.

Important Safety Information:

WARNING:
The use of CellCept in combination with other antirejection medications may result in an increased susceptibility to infection and the possible development of lymphomas. Contact your doctor right away if you notice any signs of infection (such as fever, tiredness, headache, redness of skin/wound or enlarged glands).Women of childbearing potential must use contraception. Use of CellCept during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of miscarriage and congenital malformations (birth defects).

 

  

 

 The most common side effects of CellCept include: diarrhea, leukopenia (a decrease in white blood cells), sepsis (an infection in the blood), vomiting and a higher incidence of certain infections. People taking CellCept in combination with other antirejection medications have a greater chance of developing
lymphomas and other cancers, especially skin cancer.

 

 If you are a woman of childbearing age, you must use 2 highly effective methods of contraception 4 weeks prior to starting CellCept therapy and continue contraception until 6 weeks after stopping CellCept treatment, unless abstinence is the chosen method. If you are considering pregnancy, be sure to talk to your doctor, as CellCept should not be used unless you cannot be successfully treated with other immunosuppressant drugs.

 

 Cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), an infection of the brain that is sometimes fatal, have been reported in patients treated with CellCept. In reported cases, patients generally had risk factors for PML, including treatment with immunosuppressant therapies. The most common symptoms may
include: clumsiness, progressive weakness, loss of movement or function in one side of the body, and changes in vision, speech or personality.

 

 Severe neutropenia (a decrease in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell) has been reported in up to 2% of kidney, 2.8% of heart and 3.6% of liver transplant patients receiving CellCept at a dose of 3 grams daily.

 

 Gastrointestinal bleeding (requiring hospitalization) has been reported in approximately 3% of kidney, 1.7% of heart and 5.4% of liver transplant patients treated with CellCept at a dose of 3 grams daily.
 
 
 
 
46-172-104-221-0609
Cmpgn-Id – 450014

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