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 Lomustine?
Lomustine is a type of chemotherapy medication. It belongs to a drug class called alkylating agents. This medication is FDA-approved to treat:
- Brain tumors (both primary and metastatic) in people who’ve previously received surgery or radiation
- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a type of cancer that affects white blood cells called B lymphocytes) that has progressed in people who’ve received chemotherapy
Lomustine is available as oral capsules in the following strengths in the United States:
- 10 mg (white cap and body)
- 40 mg (white cap and a moss green body)
- 100 mg (moss green cap and body)
Lomustine Mechanism of Action
Lomustine is an alkylating agent. It works by damaging the DNA of cancer cells by forming abnormal chemical bonds. This prevents cancer cells from growing and dividing normally, ultimately causing them to die.
Lomustine can also cross the blood-brain barrier, allowing it to reach brain tumors more effectively than many other chemotherapy drugs. This makes it especially useful for treating certain cancers of the brain.
Lomustine Dosing
The recommended starting dose for adults and pediatric patients is 130 mg/m² taken by mouth once every 6 weeks. Your healthcare provider will calculate your dose based on your body surface area and may adjust it depending on your blood cell counts, liver or kidney function, and other cancer treatments you are receiving.
How Lomustine 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
Important Lomustine Warnings
Risk of bone marrow suppression
Bone marrow suppression occurs when your bone marrow doesn’t produce enough blood cells. This can increase your risk of serious infections, anemia, and bleeding. Unlike many chemotherapy drugs, lomustine causes delayed bone marrow suppression, meaning your blood cell counts may not reach their lowest levels until 4 to 6 weeks after treatment. Severe and potentially fatal infections may occur 4 to 6 weeks after you have received lomustine.
Call your healthcare provider immediately if you experience:
- Fever, sore throat, hoarseness, ongoing cough, chills, or other signs of infection
- Abnormal bleeding or bruising
- Bloody or tarry stools
- Bloody vomit
- Vomiting blood or brown material that looks like coffee grounds
Risk of overdosage
Overdosing on lomustine can be fatal. Take only one dose of lomustine every 6 weeks.
Because lomustine can affect your body for prolonged periods, your healthcare provider will order a weekly blood test for at least 6 weeks after each dose.
Lomustine Side Effects
Common side effects include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Increased risk of infection
- Mouth sores
- Hair loss
Serious side effects include:
- Signs of an allergic reaction, such as hives, difficult breathing, and swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
- Easy bruising
- Abnormal bleeding or purple/red pinpoint spots under the skin
- Signs of kidney problems, such as little to no urination, swelling in the feet or ankles, tiredness, and breathing difficulty
- Signs of infection, such as fever, chills, sore throat, blisters in the mouth, red or swollen gums, and difficulty swallowing
- Signs of delayed lung damage, such as new or worsening cough, chest pain, shortness of breath (these symptoms may appear within 6 months or even longer after you take lomustine)
- Sudden change or loss of vision
- Headache
- Nose or throat irritation
- Trouble sleeping
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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