Anne Collins
Arlington, Virginia
- Plaque Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis
- Diagnosed in 1989
- Biologic: Simponi
Anne Collins has taken expensive medicines for her debilitating condition the last eight years. But she knows other patients like her have not had that option.
Anne has suffered from mild psoriasis since 1989, and psoriatic arthritis since 2006. The former creates patches of red, scaly skin, while accompanying arthritis sets in after a time for some patients. The pain that accompanies the condition can grow to unbearable levels if medicine does not keep the symptoms in check. Anne was able to do that for years with topical creams, but in the early 2000s the psoriasis spiraled out of control. Her oldest son was a senior in high school, and the stress of helping him prepare for graduation, apply to colleges and more may have been what triggered her psoriatic outbreak, Anne said. “It was a really tough time,” Anne said.
The real pain came, however, when Anne developed the arthritis. It was, and continues to be, excruciatingly painful. Desperate for relief, Anne started trying medicines called biologics, groundbreaking treatments that carry a staggering cost. With a strong insurance plan picking up almost the entire tab, Anne and her doctors experimented with the biologics Amevive, Enbrel, Remicade and Humira. But they all gave only temporary relief at best, and Anne’s search for a permanent solution continues to this day.
Earlier this year, a new biologic called Simponi was released that has given Anne new hope. Anne took monthly, self-injected treatment for the first time two weeks ago. Time will tell if it is effective or not.
If it is, Anne will have the coverage she needs to continue taking it. Thanks to the robust insurance plan provided by her husband’s employer, Anne will have the coverage she needs to either continue taking Simponi or continue her search for a different drug that works. Anne is the beneficiary of an insurance plan that only requires her to pay about $35 per prescription. Were it not for the insurance, Anne said she would have to pay about $2,000 every month just to take Simponi. Other biologics can be far more expensive.
Anne knows there are many others who do not have the luxury of experimenting with a series of cutting edge, high-priced biologics. She is especially worried about her children – psoriasis can be passed down from parent to child, and her three sons, all in their twenties, may not have the kind of top-shelf insurance coverage they need to afford biologics if they are diagnosed with psoriasis some day.
Anne does not want anyone to go through what she has without the very best medicine to help. For the sake of her children, her fellow psoriasis patients, and everyone else who needs biologics, Anne strongly supports a reasonable exclusivity window. “Lots of people just can’t afford the brand name prices,” Anne said. “12 years of exclusivity is just too long.”