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.
Erbitux Introduction and Uses
Erbitux is a brand-name prescription medication. The active ingredient in Erbitux medication is cetuximab, which belongs to a class of targeted drug therapy called monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Monoclonal antibodies are lab-created proteins that can suppress, mimic, or enhance your immune response.
Erbitux injections are used to treat:
- A specific type of head and neck cancer that has spread to other body parts. For this purpose, Erbitux injection may be used alone or with radiation therapy.
- A specific type of head and neck cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or reappears after treatment. For this purpose, this medication is used with or after chemotherapy.
- A specific type of colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and rectum) that has spread to other body parts. For this purpose, Erbitux injection may be used alone or with chemotherapy.
Erbitux Mechanism of Action
The cancer drug Erbitux blocks the action of a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In cancer cells, this protein has mutated, or they are in large abundance in the cells. Erbitux works to stop EGFR from interacting with other signals in the body, thereby resulting in inhibition of growth and cell death.
Erbitux makes cancer cells more sensitive to radiation therapy.
Before Taking Erbitux
Before you receive your first dose of the cancer drug Erbitux, inform your provider if you:
- Are allergic to this product, any product component, red meat, mouse protein, or galactose
- Have or have ever had heart disease, lung disease, difficulty breathing, abnormal heart rhythm, or clogged arteries
- Have had a tick bite
- Are pregnant or plan to get pregnant
- Are breastfeeding
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
Erbitux Dosage
Erbitux medication comes as a liquid to be injected slowly (infusion) into a vein. The following strengths are available in the US:
- A single-dose 50 ml vial, which contains 100 mg of active drug (2 mg/ml).
- A single-dose 100 ml vial, which contains 200 mg of active drug (2 mg/ml).
A healthcare provider will inject this medication in a medical office or an infusion center. The first infusion lasts two hours, while subsequent infusions last one hour.
Usual Adult Dose for Colorectal Cancer
(May be used alone or with other cancer drugs)
- Weekly: Initial dose: 400 mg/m2 IV over 120 minutes; subsequent dose: 250 mg/m2 IV over 60 minutes once a week.
- Biweekly: 500 mg/m2 IV over 120 minutes every 2 weeks.
With encorafenib (a cancer drug):
- Initial Dose: 400 mg/m2 IV over 120 minutes.
- Subsequent dose: 250 mg/m2 IV over 60 minutes once a week.
Usual Adult Dose for Head and Neck Cancer
With radiation therapy:
- Initial dose: 400 mg/m2 IV over 120 minutes one week before starting radiation therapy.
- Maintenance dose: 250 mg/m2 IV over 60 minutes once a week for 6 to 7 weeks.
With other cancer drugs or alone:
- Weekly: Initial dose: 400 mg/m2 IV over 120 minutes; subsequent dose: 250 mg/m2 IV over 60 minutes once a week.
- Biweekly: 500 mg/m2 IV over 120 minutes every 2 weeks.
Erbitux Side Effects
Common side effects include:
- Acne-like skin rash
- Dry or cracking skin
- Itching
- Changes in the fingernails or toenails
- Hair loss
- Increased hair growth on head, face, eyelashes, or chest
- Headache
- Tiredness
- Confusion
- Numbness in the arms or legs
- Dry mouth
- Sores on the lips, mouth, or throat
- Sore throat
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Taste changes
- Loss of appetite or weight
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Heartburn
- Joint or bone pain
- Pain or swelling at the injection site
- Fever
- Chills
Serious side effects include:
- Loss of vision
- Blistering, peeling, or shedding skin
- Red, swollen, or infected skin
- New or worsening cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain
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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