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 Reblozyl?
Reblozyl, also known by its generic name “luspatercept,” is a prescription drug used to treat symptoms of anemia (low red blood cell counts) in adult patients suffering from blood disorders such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and beta-thalassemia.
Reblozyl belongs to the drug class of “erythroid maturation agents” (EMA) that works to improve the erythropoiesis process (a process involved in the production of mature red blood cells). In other words, it works by creating more mature, working red blood cells (RBCs) and allows immature cells to mature and work the correct way. This improves the quality of RBCs and increases the amount of hemoglobin (Hgb) in the body, resulting in the improvement of anemia because there are more mature RBCs in the bloodstream. Reblozyl is the only drug of this class that is FDA-approved for treating anemia in adult patients who require regular red blood cell (RBC) transfusions or whose anemia does not respond well to other erythroid maturation agents.
Reblozyl can only be obtained through a doctor’s prescription and is available in single-dose vials for injection purposes in two different strengths: 25 mg and 75 mg.
What Is Reblozyl Used To Treat?
Reblozyl has been approved as a first-class therapy to treat anemia associated with the following blood disorders in adults:
- Beta thalassemia – a rare type of inherited blood disorder in which patients either have missing or defective genes that make beta globin protein. This protein is a component of hemoglobin protein present in RBCs which carries oxygen around the body. When you have thalassemia, your body is making less hemoglobin than normal, and it can result in mild or severe anemia. When hemoglobin levels are low, it can cause muscle weakness, fatigue, and many more serious complications. Reblozyl is indicated in adult patients with beta thalassemia who require regular RBC transfusions.
- Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) – a group of cancers in which immature blood-forming cells in the bone marrow do not develop (mature) or become healthy functional cells. The most common cells affected by MDS are red blood cells. When immature cells do not work the way that they should, this leaves less room for healthy white blood cells (WBCs), RBCs, and platelets to form in the bone marrow. Anemia, infection, or easy bleeding can occur as a result of fewer healthy blood cells.
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
Reblozyl Dosing Information
The dose of Reblozyl is adjusted according to the patient’s body weight, hemoglobin, and transfusion records. The recommended initial dose of Reblozyl is 1 mg/kg once every 3 weeks.
Dose Modification for B-thalassemia Patients
The future doses are modified under the following conditions:
- If the patient shows insufficient response to the initial dose (1 mg/kg once every 3 weeks) and does not achieve a reduction in RBC transfusions after two treatments ( at least 2 consecutive doses/6 weeks), the dose can be increased to 1.25 mg/kg once every 3 weeks (maximum dose).
- Discontinue the treatment if patients show insufficient response to the modified dose (1.25 mg/kg) and do not achieve a reduction in RBC transfusions after three treatments (3 doses/9 weeks).
Dose Modification for MDS Patients
The future doses are modified under the following conditions:
- If the patient shows insufficient response to the initial dose (1 mg/kg) and does not achieve a reduction in RBC transfusions after two treatments (2 doses/6 weeks), then increase the dose to 1.33 mg/kg once every 3 weeks.
- If patients show an insufficient response to the modified dose (1.33 mg/kg) and do not achieve a reduction in RBC transfusions after two treatments (2 doses/6 weeks), then increase the dose to 1.75 mg/kg once every 3 weeks.
- Discontinue the treatment if patients show an insufficient response to the modified dose (1.75 mg/kg) and do not achieve a reduction in RBC transfusions after three treatments (3 doses/9 weeks).
Reblozyl Side Effects
The most common side effects of Reblozyl include:
- Feeling tired
- Muscle or bone pain
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
- Stomach (abdominal) pain
- Allergic reactions
- Headache
- Joint pain (arthralgia)
- Nausea
- Cough
- Signs of a common cold
- Flu-like signs
Some serious side effects that may occur include:
- Blood clots (thrombosis/thromboembolism)
- The risk may be greater in people who have had their spleen removed or who take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.
- It is important to call your healthcare provider or get medical help immediately if you experience any of these symptoms:
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Pain in your leg, with or without swelling
- A pale or cold arm or leg
- Sudden numbness or weakness that is short-term or continues to occur over an extended period of time, especially if it’s on one side of the body
- Severe headache or confusion
- Sudden dizziness or trouble with seeing, walking, speaking, or balancing
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Your provider will check your blood pressure before you receive your Reblozyl dose
- Extramedullary hematopoietic (EMH) masses
- It is important to call your healthcare provider or get medical help immediately if you experience any of these symptoms:
- Severe back pain
- Numbness, weakness, or loss of voluntary movement in the legs, arms, hands, or feet
- Loss of bowel and bladder control
- It is important to call your healthcare provider or get medical help immediately if you experience any of these symptoms:
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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