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 Imfinzi?
Imfinzi (pronounced im-FIN-zee) is a type of immunotherapy drug used in cancer treatment and administered as an intravenous infusion. This medicine does not directly kill the cancer cells, but helps your immune system find and attack them.
Imfinzi (durvalumab) was first approved by the FDA in 2017 for treating locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. Since then, it has received approval for treating additional, various types of cancers in adults.
While Imfinzi improves survival rates, it also carries adverse effects. Read on to understand its usage, recommended dosage, side effects, mechanism of action, and more.
Imfinzi: Uses or Indications
Imfinzi is prescribed when the cancer is advanced, has spread, cannot be entirely removed by surgery, or has returned after previous treatment. It is indicated to treat patients with the following types of cancers:
- Small cell lung cancer (SCLC)
- Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
- Biliary tract cancer (BTC), which includes cancer of the bile ducts and gallbladder
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)
- Endometrial cancer (dMMR)
Imfinzi can be used alone (as a monotherapy) or combined with other immunotherapies (e.g., Imjudo) or chemotherapy, depending on the type of cancer being treated.
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
Mechanism of Action (MOA)
Your immune system can recognize and attack the harmful cells, including cancerous ones. However, some cancer cells develop genetic changes and produce a protein called PD-L1 (Programmed Death-Ligand 1).
This protein (PD-L1) is also present on the surface of healthy cells, which usually acts as a safety signal to prevent the immune system from attacking them. Cancer cells, on the other hand, also start to produce a lot of PD-L1, which allows them to hide from the immune system and keep multiplying.
Durvalumab, the active ingredient in Imfinzi, is a PD-L1-blocking antibody and belongs to the class of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Durvalumab works by blocking the PD-L1 protein, which helps the immune cells, especially T-cells, to find, recognize, and attack cancer cells.
Imfinzi Side Effects
Common side effects include:
- Cough
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Rash
- Joint Pain
- Fever
- Abdominal (stomach) pain
- Infection in the nose and throat
- Itching
- Hypothyroidism
- Anemia (low hemoglobin level)
- Nausea or vomiting
- Shortness of breath
- Hair loss
- Low appetite
- Lung inflammation (pneumonitis)
- Low magnesium, elevated liver enzymes (AST/ALT)
Serious side effect include:
- Severe allergic reactions, which include fever, swollen lymph nodes, swelling in the face, lips, tongue, or throat, itching, skin rash, and breathing problems
- Infusion-site reactions such as fever or chills, flushing, shortness of breath, itching or skin rash, dizziness, or fainting
- Immune system reactions, which include:
- Pneumonitis (inflamed lungs)
- Colitis (inflamed intestine)
- Hepatitis (inflamed liver)
- Inflamed nerves
- Inflamed muscles or joints
- Heart or blood vessel inflammation
- Inflamed eye (Uveitis)
- Inflamed brain (encephalitis)
- Inflamed kidney (nephritis)
- Inflammation in the hormonal glands
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these signs or symptoms, even if you are no longer taking this medicine.
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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