Why Is Vraylar So Expensive?
Vraylar is a brand name of an antipsychotic medication generally named as Cariprazine. It is a prescription drug that got US-FDA approval in 2015 for use in adults to treat bipolar depression, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder when taken along with other antidepressants, or to provide acute treatment for manic or mixed episodes that occur with bipolar 1 disorder. The medication is not for adults suffering from dementia-related psychosis.
Vraylar capsules may not be effective for everyone, but they can work for you. You can ask your psychiatrist if it’s right for you. To know more about Vraylar, keep reading this post. This article lays special attention on the cost of Vraylar and answers the most frequently asked question: Why is Vraylar So Expensive? Also, the post helps you find out what options are available to save on this medication.
How does Vraylar work?
Vraylar belongs to the pharmacological class: Atypical/Second Generation Antipsychotics. Cariprazine Hydrochloride is its active ingredient.
The clear mechanism of action of this drug is not known to date. But it is thought to work by blocking the excitatory activities of the neurotransmitters- serotonin and dopamine. These brain chemicals help regulate mood, behavior, thoughts, pressure sensation, memory, and learning, among others.
As Vraylar is an atypical antipsychotic, it’s thought to act the same way by partially blocking the central dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A receptors and executing antagonist activity at serotonin 5-HT2A receptors.
Have you been prescribed Vraylar, but find it expensive? Read this blog to get your answers on- Why is Vraylar So Expensive.
Is there a generic Vraylar available?
No. Vraylar is unavailable in its therapeutically equivalent version in the United States. That’s because there is no patent expiry granted by the US Patent and Trade Marks Office for Vraylar.
A generic version of Vraylar would be an active copy of the active ingredient in the brand name Vraylar- Cariprazine Hydrochloride. As per Patent Law, any patented drug is not meant for manufacture and sale as a copy.
All across the globe, Vraylar may be available as a low-priced prescription antipsychotic drug but not so in the United States. Please be aware of the fact that there could be fraudulent online pharmacies selling an illegal generic Vraylar at a low cost. These could be counterfeit medications and unsafe to use.
If you want to purchase Vraylar at an online pharmacy, you need to ensure that the pharmacy you chose is reputable and valid. In such a case, OffshoreCheapMeds is your right choice! Here, you can buy Vraylar online at a budget-friendly rate in both small and bulk quantities.
Is the unavailability of a generic version the reason why is Vraylar so expensive? Confirm it by switching to the section “Why is Vraylar So Expensive”.
What is the cost of Vraylar?
When one goes to purchase a Vraylar capsule, one would find variations in the cost of the drug among other patients. Many factors decide the price of Vraylar. These include the chosen pharmacy, unique treatment plan (the strength of dose and quantity of supply), insurance coverage, and whether there is the availability of a financial assistance/savings program for Vraylar.
To know what the cost of Vraylar is, contact OffshoreCheapMeds. The Vraylar capsule is generally expensive. Why so? Learn about it in the section “Why is Vraylar So Expensive.”
How much does Vraylar cost without insurance?
The cost of prescription brand-name drugs such as Vraylar is generally more without insurance than with it. For customers having no prescription drug insurance, the manufacturer provides the wholesale acquisition cost for a month’s supply of Vraylar. It is $1377.67, as of January 2023.
If you want to know the reason behind the high cost of Vraylar, read our section “Why is Vraylar So Expensive.”
No need to worry about your pocket expenses much even if you don’t have insurance as you can pay less for Vraylar with the help of copay assistance.
There are some financing resources and saving programs provided by manufacturers. Contact the OffshoreCheapMeds website to learn more about these financing resources or the Vraylar cost.
How much does Vraylar cost with insurance?
Vraylar’s cost with insurance is minimal. For those who are experiencing financial hardship, having insurance coverage for Vraylar is the best. Those with commercial insurance plans would have their first two refills free.
For individuals without prescription drug insurance, the manufacturer indicates that this medication will cost around $1,314 per month. For those who have private or commercial drug coverage, the usual monthly copay can vary based on their specific insurance plan.
The manufacturer of Vraylar has determined that approximately 85% of prescriptions for their medication typically incur minimal out-of-pocket expenses, ranging from $0 to $25 per month when the use of Vraylar discount cards is taken into account. People enrolled in Medicaid have even lower costs, with about 90% of Vraylar prescriptions costing them between $0 and $4 each month.
The manufacturer ensures that Vraylar is covered by the majority of commercial insurance plans for patients. The buyers of Vraylar can contact their insurance providers to figure out how much insurance claim is possible on the purchase of Vraylar. They may have to get prior authorization before their insurance providers cover their cost of Vraylar.
Curious to know why is Vraylar so expensive. Move on to the main section of the article.
Why Is Vraylar So Expensive?
Vraylar is an expensive medication that is used in the treatment of certain health conditions. Get more details on why is Vraylar so expensive and a few reasons why Americans need to pay more for Vraylar. These include:
- Research and Development on brand-name drug: Vraylar is a brand-name drug manufactured by Abbvie and Allergan. It is an expensive medication because the drug company needs to put Vraylar under clinical drug research and testing to ensure its safety and efficacy for its users. To recoup the R&D costs as well as the cost associated with advertising and marketing the drug to doctors and consumers, the manufacturer of Vraylar quotes a high price for the drug. The price is high until the patent term ends before the generic version of the drug is available in the market.
- Patent law protection: Vraylar has a patent that will expire in 2029. Till then, no other pharmaceutical company can sell the same medication. There is an unavailability of the generic version of Vraylar. If there is a generic version of the drug, it would be low-priced because of the competition in the drug market and less need for clinical research studies for generic drugs.
- Unregulated pricing of prescription drugs: The United States Government does not regulate the cost of Vraylar. This means pharmacies can set high prices for Vraylar at their discretion. The price may vary depending on the demand and location of where the drug is sold.
- The other reason this medication is costly is the high cost of research and development, costs invested for advertising and marketing this drug to doctors and consumers, and the time taken to bring this medication to market.
FAQs:
Does Vraylar cause weight gain?
Vraylar, just as any other atypical antipsychotic drug, can cause metabolic changes that lead to weight gain. However, the clinical trials done on Vraylar did not find weight gain as its common side effect. Even if weight gain was a side effect of Vraylar, it was usually mild.
Is Vraylar an antipsychotic?
Yes. Vraylar is an atypical antipsychotic drug. It works to alter brain chemicals that help further reduce psychotic symptoms such as disordered thinking, hallucinations, and delusions. It is better than first-generation or typical antipsychotics as it does not cause side effects like tardive dyskinesia and extrapyramidal symptoms.
Is Vraylar a sleeping pill?
Up to 10% of people taking Vraylar report sleepiness or drowsiness as a side effect of Vraylar, the risk of this side effect increases with higher dosages of Vraylar, and these people may prefer taking Vraylar at night.
How long does Vraylar stay in your system?
Vraylar has a half-life of about a week. This means it takes approximately a week for half the dose of Vraylar to be removed from the blood plasma of the patient. If your doctor asks you to stop your treatment of the Vraylar capsule, the effect of your last dose of Vraylar may show its effect for 1 to 4 weeks.
Does Vraylar cause insomnia?
Drowsiness and sleepiness are found to be commonly occurring side effects of taking Vraylar in about 6-7% of patients on which the drug was clinically tested. Insomnia is not a reported side effect of taking Vraylar. But it can be when Vraylar is taken with other medications, when a dose of Vraylar is changed, or when a few weeks have been over after starting the treatment course of Vraylar. Hope you’ve got Why is Vraylar So Expensive.