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 Gilenya?
Gilenya is a prescription drug that is used to treat the relapsing-remitting forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) — an immune-mediated neurological disorder that occurs due to nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord.
This medication belongs to the immunosuppressants drug class, which suppresses the immune system at specific points to prevent or reduce nerve damage. It was the first disease-modifying therapy (DMT) approved by the FDA in 2010 to reduce relapses and delay disease progression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients.
The generic name of Gilenya is fingolimod.
What Forms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Is Gilenya Used To Treat?
Gilenya is used to treat the relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), which includes:
Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)
In this form, a patient has flare-ups (relapses) of symptoms followed by a period with milder or no symptoms (remission phase).
Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS)
This condition refers to an episode of one or two neurological symptoms that indicate the onset of MS.
Active Secondary Progressive MS
Active secondary progressive MS develops after the relapsing-remitting phase of MS. In this stage, patients experience fewer relapses than they would with RRMS, but their symptoms get worse over time despite the treatment.
Gilenya is used in adults and children over 10 years of age with a relapsing form of MS.
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
When Is Gilenya Prescribed to Patients?
Gilenya is generally prescribed to patients under the following conditions:
- When other disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) do not work, and patients still experience more than two disabling relapses in one year
- When your MRI scan shows an increased number of lesions in the brain
- When you have highly active relapsing MS or severe relapsing-remitting MS
How Does It Work?
In MS, immune cells such as T and B cells (made in lymph nodes) travel to the brain and spinal cord and destroy the protective coating (myelin sheath) of nerve cells. Gilenya works to reduce this nerve damage by limiting the movement of these immune cells to the brain.
Mechanism of Action
The active ingredient of Gilenya, fingolimod, is a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator that binds and blocks the action of the sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1P) on lymphocytes (T & B-cells). S1P receptors mainly control the movement of lymphocytes in the body.
With SIP receptor blockage, Gilenya prevents lymphocytes from leaving the lymph nodes and attacking nerve cells. This helps reduce the severity of symptoms and slow down the disease progression.
Gilenya Side Effects
Common side effects include:
- Headache
- Increased liver enzymes
- Diarrhea
- Cough
- Influenza
- Sinusitis
- Back pain
- Abdominal pain and pain in the extremities (arms or legs)
- Nausea
Serious side effects include:
- Serious heart rhythm problem (slow heart rate)
- Brain infections such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Macular edema
- Liver damage
- Skin malignancies such as melanoma and basal cell carcinoma
- Allergic reaction
- Swelling in the brain (a condition known as posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome)
- Tumefactive MS (a rare form of MS that causes tumor-like mass/lesions in the brain)
- Trouble breathing (respiratory issues)
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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How Much Can You Save?
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