How Assistance Works
Streamlining our patient’s specialty pharmacy experience with unmatched full-service convenience
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1. Check Your Coverage/Benefits Verification
Our team of expert billers finds the best avenues of coverage that minimize out-of-pocket costs.
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2. Transfer Prescription to AmeriPharma®
We process your prescription by working with your previous pharmacy or prescriber, making the transition quick and easy.
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3. Prior Authorization
Our team of specialists obtains approval from your insurance companies within 24 to 72 hours.
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4. Copay Assistance & Financial Aid
We secure financial aid and decrease copays, out-of-pocket expenses, and high deductibles. To date, AmeriPharma® Specialty Care has secured $55 million in financial assistance for our patients.
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5. Nursing Care Coordination If Needed
AmeriPharma® puts your schedule and home environment first when scheduling and coordinating one of our specialized nurses for your in-home infusions.
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6. Delivery Coordination
Medications are always delivered in strict compliance with the specific requirements for shipping. Next-day and overnight cold-chain deliveries are coordinated around your schedule.
What Is Enhertu?
Enhertu (also known by its generic name, fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), which means it contains two active components that are linked together:
- A monoclonal antibody (trastuzumab) that targets a specific marker protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) present on the surface of some cancer cells.
- A chemotherapy medication (deruxtecan or DXd) that is attached to the antibody and delivered directly to the cancer cells.
Enhertu belongs to the HER2 inhibitors drug class and was first approved by the FDA in December 2019.
What Type of Cancers Does Enhertu Treat?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Enhertu for treating adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have undergone two or more prior anti-HER2-based regimens. Since then, Enhertu has been approved globally for the treatment of several other indications, including:
- HER2-positive breast cancer
- HER2-low breast cancer
- Hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-low or HER2-ultralow breast cancer
- HER2-positive advanced stomach or gastroesophageal junction cancer
- HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
- HER2-positive solid tumors with HER2 mutations
In short, Enhertu may not only help patients with traditional HER2-positive tumors but also those with HER2-low or HER2-mutated cancers that were previously difficult to treat.
Copay and Financial Assistance
AmeriPharma® Specialty Pharmacy alleviates financial burdens for patients and their families
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Advanced software locates funding sources to match you with top-dollar foundation programs
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One of our copay assistance specialists will assist with the application process
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Automatic updates will be sent to you and your physician on the status of the funding
How It Works
Some breast cancer cells overexpress HER2 (short for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2), which is a protein that behaves like an antenna on the surface of the cancer cells. When HER2 protein receives signals, it stimulates the cancer cell to grow and multiply rapidly. Patients with overexpression of the HER2 gene are considered HER2-positive.
Some tumors have lower levels of HER2 and are classified as HER2-negative, HER2-low, or HER2-ultralow.
Enhertu Working Mechanism
Enhertu contains two active parts that are linked together: a monoclonal antibody called trastuzumab and a chemotherapy drug called deruxtecan or DXd.
Trastuzumab is designed to attach to the HER2 proteins on the cancer cells and stop these proteins from stimulating the growth of cancer cells. Trastuzumab also activates the immune cells that kill the cancer cells.
Once the antibody attaches to the breast cancer cells, it moves inside the cells and delivers the potent chemotherapy medication (deruxtecan) that kills the cancer cells by blocking an enzyme (protein) called topoisomerase I, which is involved in making new cancer cells.
Moreover, Enhertu also exhibits a “bystander effect,” which means it kills the neighboring cancer cells even if they don’t express the HER2 proteins. This makes the Enhertu an effective and more targeted treatment for patients with low or ultra-low HER2 breast cancers.
Enhertu Side Effects
Common side effects include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Low appetite
- Tiredness
- Low white blood cell counts (leukopenia)
- Low red blood cell counts (anemia)
- Low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia)
- High liver function tests
- Hair loss (alopecia)
- Low levels of blood potassium
- Muscle or bone pain
Serious side effects include:
- Interstitial lung disease (a disorder causing scarring in the lungs)
- Pneumonitis (inflammation of the lungs)
- Left Ventricular Dysfunction
- Neutropenia (Low neutrophil counts)
Insurances Accepted
We accept Medicare, multi-state Medicaid, Medi-Cal, Blue Shield, and most private insurances. Call us to find out more about your coverage.
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