J. Katz knows she is lucky to be able to afford biologics. But she doesn’t think luck should have anything to do with it.
J. has a condition known as psoriatic arthritis, a condition that can lead to joint pain, stiffness and swelling in any part of the body. The disorder is present in a small number of patients who already suffer from psoriasis, a major skin condition that results in patches of rough, red skin lesions. There is no cure, and if the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis are not controlled the condition can be disabling.
The good news for patients like J. is that there are biologic medications that are extremely effective at keeping the painful and debilitating symptoms at bay. Biologics are advanced but prohibitively expensive medications that treat a wide variety of disorders. The biologic J. takes, Enbrel, keeps her potentially debilitating symptoms at bay. And she is fortunate to have insurance that only asks for $35 a month to provide her with the treatment.
But J. experienced firsthand just how overwhelming the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis can be. It was several months after she was diagnosed last November with the disorder before her insurance agreed to pay for Enbrel. Forced to take other, non-biologic medicines, J. said she suffered fatigue and arthritic pain. “I was pretty sick,” J. said of that hard time in her life. “It’s the sickest I’ve ever been.” Since getting on Enbrel in February, her symptoms have subsided considerably.
If she did not have such terrific insurance, J. said she would have to pay $12,000 to $15,000 annually. And as an active poster on the psoriasis.org message board, she knows many people facing just such a predicament. “People are scared about losing their jobs and needing to stop their medication,” J. said.
Because she wants the best for her friends and everyone else dealing with psoriatic arthritis, J. strongly supports a reasonable pathway for generic versions of biologics. “I think generics would give people more freedom,” J. said. “And doctors more freedom to say, ‘I’m going to start you on the best medicine for your condition.’”
J. Katz
Bergen County, New Jersey
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Biologic: Enbrel