Cancer drugs

[J.opt]

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Hey all,
One of my high school friends contacted me recently to ask me a favor. He lives in Venezuela and his mother is fighting colon cancer. He found out that I live in the U.S. and he asked me to find out whether he can find cancer medications cheaper here than he can in Vzla.
Are cancer drugs administered by specialized clinics, or would I be able to find them at retail drugstores? Does anybody know what kind of documentation would I (or he) need in order to buy the drugs? Could he possibly buy them in Canada or something like that?
Any advice would be appreciated. I know this family has limited resources, so I would like to help them as much as possible.
Thanks,
J.opt

 

[J.opt]

These are the drugs that his mom is needing:

AVASTIN 400 MG (12 UNITS)
OXALIPLATINO 100 MG (12 UNITS)
XELODA 500MG (6 UNITS)
KYTRIL 3 MG (6 UNITS)
ANZEMET 100 MG (12 UNITS)

These are the names of the drugs in Spanish, but I would think that they are close to the names in English.

Thank you.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Maybe Oxaliplatino is cisplatin? Not sure.

Anyway, I'm assuming that regimine is the Venezuelan version of FOLFOX. Most of the drugs are administered IV methinks - and I doubt you could buy something like that at a retail drug store unless they specialized in oncological ambulatory care - which I've never heard of in the states.

As for where it would be the cheapest to buy them, I doubt Hugo Chavez would let an American pharmaceutical company exploit his citizens like the government of the US allows the same companies rape Americans, so I'd wager they are much cheaper in Venezuela.

I know, a lot of typing but no direct answer, but it's the best I can do.

 

[ZpackSux]

Why Kytril and Anzemet together. That's a duplication of therapy.

 

[J.opt]

As for where it would be the cheapest to buy them, I doubt Hugo Chavez would let an American pharmaceutical company exploit his citizens like the government of the US allows the same companies rape Americans, so I'd wager they are much cheaper in Venezuela.

Yeah, I was also thinking that they would be cheaper there. It seems like those kinds of drugs are hard to find for them.

Why Kytril and Anzemet together. That's a duplication of therapy.

Do you mean that both of these are the same/have the same effect?

Thanks for your replies. Input from other members is welcomed.

 

[Glycerin]

Why Kytril and Anzemet together. That's a duplication of therapy.

You beat me to it. 😛

 

[Glycerin]

Do you mean that both of these are the same/have the same effect?

Thanks for your replies. Input from other members is welcomed.

Different drugs but both help to prevent nausea and vomitting associated with chemo.

 

[Glycerin]

Hey all,
One of my high school friends contacted me recently to ask me a favor. He lives in Venezuela and his mother is fighting colon cancer. He found out that I live in the U.S. and he asked me to find out whether he can find cancer medications cheaper here than he can in Vzla.
Are cancer drugs administered by specialized clinics, or would I be able to find them at retail drugstores? Does anybody know what kind of documentation would I (or he) need in order to buy the drugs? Could he possibly buy them in Canada or something like that?
Any advice would be appreciated. I know this family has limited resources, so I would like to help them as much as possible.
Thanks,
J.opt

I don't know about documentation to buy meds here and take them to another country, but some of the medications you listed to treat cancer are administered intravenously, so the patient would need to get treatment in a clinic or hospital. You wouldn't find those at a retail drug store.

 

[ZpackSux]

You beat me to it. 😛

Yes.. by about 2 days..

 

[Glycerin]

Yes.. by about 2 days..

Har har har. I do have this thing called pharmacy school that's a priority over SDN. 😉 😛

Wiseguy.

 

[bananaface]

Maybe Oxaliplatino is cisplatin? Not sure.

Eloxatin is the brand name for oxaliplatin in the US. There is a foreign brand of oxaliplatin canned Oxaliplatino. Cisplatin is the generic name for the US brand Platinol. They are in the same family of drugs, but are not the same drug.

 

[bananaface]

Hey all,
One of my high school friends contacted me recently to ask me a favor. He lives in Venezuela and his mother is fighting colon cancer. He found out that I live in the U.S. and he asked me to find out whether he can find cancer medications cheaper here than he can in Vzla.
Are cancer drugs administered by specialized clinics, or would I be able to find them at retail drugstores? Does anybody know what kind of documentation would I (or he) need in order to buy the drugs? Could he possibly buy them in Canada or something like that?
Any advice would be appreciated. I know this family has limited resources, so I would like to help them as much as possible.
Thanks,
J.opt

You would need a prescription for any of these, written for the patient, after the patient has visited a US licenced physician. The top 2 are chemos available by IV only, and would be mixed and administered in a clinic setting, not dispensed through any retail setting. Unless the patient plans on visiting the US, it is unlikely that you would be able to acquire any of these drugs for her legally. They are very expensive here too.

 

[J.opt]

Thank you guys. I've been forwarding him all what you guys have said.

 

[MutantClone]

Thought I would clarify a couple of things for you here. While the standard of care for all cancers evolves, especially colorectal cancer, the drugs you indicated would be part of a fairly common regimen for colorectal cancer. It is a variation of the FOLFOX + Avastin regimen, using Xeloda (capecitabine, the oral prodrug of 5-fluorouracil) instead of what is considered the "gold standard" of 5-fluorouracil with leucovorin.

Oxaliplatin and Avastin are both intravenous agents that are traditionally given in the clinic setting. Not anything you would be able to pick up at Walgreens. Xeloda is a something that is routinely filled in retail pharmacies on a physician's prescription order.

Anzemet and Kytril are not chemotherapy. These agents are antiemetics belonging to the 5-ht3 receptor antagonists. As someone stated before, they would not be used together. FYI, on an Anzemet soap box here, but clinical trials have shown the 100mg dose not to be as effective as the other drugs in the class, however the 200mg dose is. Both of these drugs come both IV and oral, the oral formulation readily available with a prescription.

As far as the overall question on drug price, all of these drugs are extremely expensive in the United States. Typically, chemotherapy is cheaper in foreign countries, especially Europe.

I have a significant amount of experience in this area but do not claim to know everything. Good luck to you and your mother with this condition.

These are the drugs that his mom is needing:

AVASTIN 400 MG (12 UNITS)
OXALIPLATINO 100 MG (12 UNITS)
XELODA 500MG (6 UNITS)
KYTRIL 3 MG (6 UNITS)
ANZEMET 100 MG (12 UNITS)

These are the names of the drugs in Spanish, but I would think that they are close to the names in English.

Thank you.

 

[J.opt]

Thought I would clarify a couple of things for you here. While the standard of care for all cancers evolves, especially colorectal cancer, the drugs you indicated would be part of a fairly common regimen for colorectal cancer. It is a variation of the FOLFOX + Avastin regimen, using Xeloda (capecitabine, the oral prodrug of 5-fluorouracil) instead of what is considered the "gold standard" of 5-fluorouracil with leucovorin.

Oxaliplatin and Avastin are both intravenous agents that are traditionally given in the clinic setting. Not anything you would be able to pick up at Walgreens. Xeloda is a something that is routinely filled in retail pharmacies on a physician's prescription order.

Anzemet and Kytril are not chemotherapy. These agents are antiemetics belonging to the 5-ht3 receptor antagonists. As someone stated before, they would not be used together. FYI, on an Anzemet soap box here, but clinical trials have shown the 100mg dose not to be as effective as the other drugs in the class, however the 200mg dose is. Both of these drugs come both IV and oral, the oral formulation readily available with a prescription.

As far as the overall question on drug price, all of these drugs are extremely expensive in the United States. Typically, chemotherapy is cheaper in foreign countries, especially Europe.

I have a significant amount of experience in this area but do not claim to know everything. Good luck to you and your mother with this condition.

Thanks a lot for your reply. (Actually it's my friend's mom, not mine, thank God).