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
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 Nucala?
Nucala is the brand name for a biologic drug called mepolizumab. It is for treating people over the age of 6 with a form of severe asthma called severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). People with this type of asthma have high levels of white blood cells called eosinophils.
Mepolizumab is also indicated for treating adults with a condition called eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). EGPA causes blood vessels to swell.
Other uses for mepolizumab include treating patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). HES presents with symptoms of muscle pain, rash, fatigue, shortness of breath, and fever.
Mepolizumab is an injected medication. Doctors may administer it in the office via subcutaneous injection. The FDA approved two additional forms in 2019 for patients to self-inject at home: a prefilled syringe and an autoinjector pen.
How Does Nucala Work?
Mepolizumab is in a category of drugs called monoclonal antibodies. These drugs imitate proteins called antibodies, which are components of the immune system. Antibodies attach to antigens, which are cell receptors in the body and prevent excessive production of eosinophils.
While scientists do not fully understand the mechanism of this drug’s action, it decreases the high levels of eosinophils that cause inflammation. Mepolizumab works over time, and patients may have to wait a few weeks to feel its effects.
Patients using the drug for eosinophilic asthma must understand that it is not a rescue medication. Since it works slowly over time to reduce eosinophils that cause inflammation, mepolizumab does not stop an asthma attack. Asthma patients should continue to use their inhaled steroids as directed by their physician.
Copay and Financial Assistance
AmeriPharma™ Specialty Care 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
Directions for Use
Patients should inform their healthcare providers if they are taking a corticosteroid medication, have a parasitic infection, or are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
Patients who are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed should speak with their doctor before starting mepolizumab treatment. Researchers do not know the effects of the drug on unborn or breastfeeding babies.
Healthcare providers should also be aware of any medications, vitamins, or supplements the patient takes before starting the patient on mepolizumab treatment.
Patients may receive their first injection of mepolizumab at the doctor’s office. After the injection, the doctor may ask the patient to remain at the office for a specified time to monitor for an allergic reaction. The patient may self-administer subsequent injections at home after the initial dose. The healthcare provider will instruct the patient on how to inject the medicine.
Mepolizumab should be stored in the refrigerator between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Keeping the medication in its original packaging will protect it from reacting to light. If necessary, medication may be stored in its original carton for up to 7 days outside the refrigerator at temperatures under 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
Removing the medication and allowing it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before use can make the injection more comfortable. The medication can be injected into the stomach or thighs, and a caregiver can inject the medicine into the upper arms.
Patients or caregivers should wash their hands with soap and water before injecting the dose. The patient should clean the injection site with alcohol and allow it to dry. After following the instructions for the autoinjector or prefilled syringe, the patient should dispose of the used supplies in a sharps container or sturdy plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
Nucala Side Effects
Common side effects of mepolizumab include:
- Back pain
- Tiredness
- Reactions at the injection site, including redness, swelling, pain, burning, or itching
- Headaches
Severe side effects include:
- Symptoms indicative of a severe allergic reaction such as trouble breathing; swelling of the tongue, lips, or throat; dizziness; and difficulty swallowing
- Symptoms indicative of shingles such as a blistering rash accompanied by pain, fever, and tingling or burning sensations
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.
Get Started in Minutes
Fill out your information and one of our specialists will call you ASAP.
How Much Can You Save?
Speak with a copay assistance specialist
(877) 778-0318
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