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 Gammaplex?
Gammaplex infusions use plasma from paid, healthy US subjects. The manufacturers use plasmas of approximately 3,000 to 10,000 donors to obtain human immunoglobulin derivatives.
This infusion is available in two concentrations: 5% and 10% liquid high-purity formulations (>95% for 5% and >98% for 10%).
These formulations differ in their stabilizer. For example, the 10% solution is stabilized with glycine and doesn’t contain carbohydrate-reducing stabilizers. Meanwhile, the 5% solution is stabilized with sorbitol.
What Is Gammaplex Used For?
Gammaplex is an FDA-approved product for managing primary humoral immunodeficiency diseases (PIDDs) in adults and pediatric patients 2 years old and above. In addition, Gammaplex infusions help prevent bleeding in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).
Immunodeficiency disorders result from the absence or dysfunction of a part of the immune system. Immunodeficiency disorders can have two categories: primary and secondary.
The principal clinical manifestation of primary humoral immunodeficiency (PI) diseases is an increased risk of infection. Almost all patients suffered serious or unusual infections before receiving Gammaplex treatment. A large population reported suffering from permanent functional impairment.
How Gammaplex Copay Assistance Works
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
Dosing
The dosage of Gammaplex infusions varies according to the indication and the concentration administered.
Treatment of Primary Humoral Immunodeficiency
For treating primary humoral immunodeficiency disease, the frequency and the dose of immunoglobulin may vary from patient to patient. This difference is because the half-life of IgG varies among patients.
The proper amount can be adjusted according to the patient’s clinical response.
However, according to the Gammaplex package insert, Gammaplex 5% (100 ml) is given intravenously at a dose of 300 to 800 mg/kg (6-16 mL/kg) every 3 to 4 weeks for managing PI.
Gammaplex 10% (50 ml) is administered intravenously at similar doses. But this higher concentration allows a 34% reduction in infusion time without compromising safety and tolerability.
Treatment of Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura
The recommended dose of the 5% solution for patients with ITP is 1 g/kg (20 mL/kg) on two consecutive days, providing a total of 2 g/kg.
For patients at increased risk of thrombosis, hemolysis, acute kidney injury, or volume overload, there should be a careful evaluation of the risks and benefits of prescribing this regimen.
Key Takeaways:
- Dosing varies based on patient response and indication.
- Gammaplex 10% shortens infusion time compared to 5%.
- ITP dosing is significantly higher than PIDD dosing.
Gammaplex Side Effects
Gammaplex can rarely cause:
- Renal dysfunction (more common with sucrose-stabilized IVIGs)
- Thrombotic events (related to increased serum viscosity)
- Hemolysis (due to blood group antibodies)
- TRALI (lung injury linked to blood product transfusions)
According to some reports, as many as 21% of patients discontinued their immunoglobulin therapy due to adverse reactions (low tolerability) or concerns about product safety.
Generally speaking, most patients tolerate IVIGs well. Most adverse reactions are mild, transient, and reversible by slowing or temporarily stopping the infusion.
More specifically, most people tolerate Gammaplex IV well, as reflected by the low rate of treatment discontinuations due to side effects.
Similarly, patients with ITP completed 90 of 94 infusions at the maximum recommended rate, indicating that Gammaplex infusions were well tolerated even at high doses.
Adverse Reactions in Subjects With PI
According to the package insert, the most common adverse reactions reported in primary immune deficiency clinical trials were:
- Headache
- Migraines
- Fever
Adverse Reactions in Subjects With ITP
The most common adverse reactions reported in immune thrombocytopenic purpura clinical trials were:
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Nausea
- Joint pain
- Dehydration
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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