Very scary post from Abbott Boards about Amrix

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This is one of those drugs for the "rich" who don't want to be annoyed by having to supply their habit more than once a day. My doctor had given me samples of Amrix and it actually worked better than my 3x daily Flexeril. Problem is, it doesn't cost between $270-$300 (which is more than my uninsured budget can afford) it costs closer to $606.38 for a one month supply. Oh and WOW, they offer me a whole $10 to $50 off!!! Basically, my doctor handed me samples of a drug, which showed me I could feel better but that I can never purchase.

It seems many of these drug companies are re-inventing the wheel when their patents run out just hoping to keep raking in the big bucks. They turn out a re-vamped product that ends up being recalled a year or two later when they find the FDA ignored the REAL test results or fast tracked the approval.

I was at the doctor today. Instead of just giving me a scrip for a drug I have taken on and off for over 25 years and have never had a problem taking (cost per month $59) she gives me a sample of three different new drugs to try and see which worked best. I got home, checked the price of each one... all over $300 per month. Why do we need to be lab rats for medications we cannot afford?

Anonymous said:
Amrix. To those of you who are unaware, Amrix is a "new" drug from Cephalon. To be blunt, it is a me-too drug of Flexeril. It is cyclobenzaprine 'extended release'. So what is going on with Amrix you ask? Here is what is going on. Flexeril generic (cyclobenzaprine) is mere pennies. Amrix costs around $ 9 dollars a capsule. A month supply goes for between $ 270- $300 dollars a pop.
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Anonymous said:
This is one of those drugs for the "rich" who don't want to be annoyed by having to supply their habit more than once a day. My doctor had given me samples of Amrix and it actually worked better than my 3x daily Flexeril. Problem is, it doesn't cost between $270-$300 (which is more than my uninsured budget can afford) it costs closer to $606.38 for a one month supply. Oh and WOW, they offer me a whole $10 to $50 off!!! Basically, my doctor handed me samples of a drug, which showed me I could feel better but that I can never purchase.

It seems many of these drug companies are re-inventing the wheel when their patents run out just hoping to keep raking in the big bucks. They turn out a re-vamped product that ends up being recalled a year or two later when they find the FDA ignored the REAL test results or fast tracked the approval.

I was at the doctor today. Instead of just giving me a scrip for a drug I have taken on and off for over 25 years and have never had a problem taking (cost per month $59) she gives me a sample of three different new drugs to try and see which worked best. I got home, checked the price of each one... all over $300 per month. Why do we need to be lab rats for medications we cannot afford?
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IF you are an hourly paid, blue collar worker who does not get paid if you do not work, Amrix could be a bargain. Very few side effects if taken properly, allows you to work instead of sitting on the sofa in a stupor. Work equals dollars. Doc gives you one weeks worth of samples and an Rx for two more weeks plus the discount coupon and the cost is now about $70-150.. Ten days off work at $15/hour is $1200 (going rate for average plumber in my area)= can you afford to NOT buy the Amrix?????? EVEN at FULL price. You have to learn to SELL this shit, not just detail it.
 






Walking Eagle said:
IF you are an hourly paid, blue collar worker who does not get paid if you do not work, Amrix could be a bargain. Very few side effects if taken properly, allows you to work instead of sitting on the sofa in a stupor. Work equals dollars. Doc gives you one weeks worth of samples and an Rx for two more weeks plus the discount coupon and the cost is now about $70-150.. Ten days off work at $15/hour is $1200 (going rate for average plumber in my area)= can you afford to NOT buy the Amrix?????? EVEN at FULL price. You have to learn to SELL this shit, not just detail it.
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What insurance does this said employee have?
 


















Walking Eagle said:
IF you are an hourly paid, blue collar worker who does not get paid if you do not work, Amrix could be a bargain. Very few side effects if taken properly, allows you to work instead of sitting on the sofa in a stupor. Work equals dollars. Doc gives you one weeks worth of samples and an Rx for two more weeks plus the discount coupon and the cost is now about $70-150.. Ten days off work at $15/hour is $1200 (going rate for average plumber in my area)= can you afford to NOT buy the Amrix?????? EVEN at FULL price. You have to learn to SELL this shit, not just detail it.
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Don't let this bastard's threads grind you down
 






Anonymous said:
no insurance- no chance a patient gets amrix at your suggested price. NONE
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You are wrong. Just takes a doc who believes in the product and sells it to the patient. Docs do this all the time with various therapies that they truly believe in. You don't have to believe me, but you can look at the top ten Amrix reps and find me. DON'T try it --I like being at the top.
 
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Walking Eagle said:
You are wrong. Just takes a doc who believes in the product and sells it to the patient. Docs do this all the time with various therapies that they truly believe in. You don't have to believe me, but you can loook at the top ten Amrix reps and find me. DON'T try it --I like being at the top.
Click to expand...

A doc can believe and sell all they want- no insurance will not get you amrix for that price. Believe all you want bro.....
 






AMRIX is no better in efficacy or safety from generic cyclobenzaprine. Firstly, good old generic cyclobenzaprine works well at 5 mg bid- just asked Merck they did the study! Secondly, AMRIX had one failed and one positive phase III trial. There were no true comparisons to FLEXERIL in either of their studies- the AEs of drowsiness cited are against historical data ! I suggest our own reps learn about our drugs. I know of no physician who will prescribe amrix at all. And recall, the patent on AMRIX is for cyclobenzaprine in a specific sustained release formulation- there is nothing to prevent a challenge to the patent (like from Lylan) or any other company from developing another sustained release formulation of cyclobenzaprine.
 






Anonymous said:
A doc can believe and sell all they want- no insurance will not get you amrix for that price. Believe all you want bro.....
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AGAIN, Einstein, not talking about insurance--CASH patients who work hourly in areas with no benefits, no workers comp in small companies: Plumbers, carpenters, sheet rock hangers, tile layers, brick layers, masons, farm workers, maids, house framers, etc, etc. I saw an opportunity and capitalized on it. All within the guidelines of the P.I. and it only took a few docs/clinics with the right patients to make a huge difference in my territory. You may be in an area with extensive unionization and stronger worker comp laws and coverage. So far, this works for me. Why do you people hate success stories?
 






Anonymous said:
So Abbott just got some kind of "delay" letter for their new Vicodin Cr formulation. Here is what someone posted about the situation. Pretty much head on: (copied and pasted from Abbott Board)

Re: FDA Rejects Vicodin CR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lets look at it in a realistic way, using something that is going on right now, as a guideline:

Amrix. To those of you who are unaware, Amrix is a "new" drug from Cephalon. To be blunt, it is a me-too drug of Flexeril. It is cyclobenzaprine 'extended release'. So what is going on with Amrix you ask? Here is what is going on. Flexeril generic (cyclobenzaprine) is mere pennies. Amrix costs around $ 9 dollars a capsule. A month supply goes for between $ 270- $300 dollars a pop.

Yes, doctors have been well detailed, and began writing for it strong, but now that has come to a slow, dying crawl. Why? Because they got sick and tired of being called by pharmacists saying that they cannot dispense it.

Why are the pharmacists calling? Well, a small majority call because they claim it hurts there bottom line, dispensing something that costs so much, as compared to carrying a 1000 count of cyclobenzaprine which probably costs them around $ 30.

The rest of the pharmacists, the majority of them (including chain store pharmacists who don't give a rats ass how much the drug costs, since they are just employees) call the doctors to switch for an entirely diffirent reason.
The PBM's (prescription benefit managers) and the HMO's are not putting Amrix on their formulary. Why? because it is a overpriced, ME-TOO drug. So since the drug is not on formulary, they pharmacist must call for an alternative. Can't blame the pharmacist, patients insurance doesn't cover the drug, a call must be put in.

So, the Md's, who were on board to right for the Amrix, have gotten so annoyed at all the phone calls and interuptions, they basically say, "Fuck this Amrix", and basically stop writing for it.

Here is the deal folks, Amrix is an extended release version of a 60 year old drug that is available in a immediate release generic form. Now, re-read the previous sentence, but substitute Vicodin CR in the place of Amrix.

IF this drug gets approved, and the odds are against it at this stage, the drug will not be anywhere near as much a success as Abbott hopes it will be.
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FYI: Flexeril is a 30 year old drug, NOT 60.
 






Walking Eagle said:
AGAIN, Einstein, not talking about insurance--CASH patients who work hourly in areas with no benefits, no workers comp in small companies: Plumbers, carpenters, sheet rock hangers, tile layers, brick layers, masons, farm workers, maids, house framers, etc, etc. I saw an opportunity and capitalized on it. All within the guidelines of the P.I. and it only took a few docs/clinics with the right patients to make a huge difference in my territory. You may be in an area with extensive unionization and stronger worker comp laws and coverage. So far, this works for me. Why do you people hate success stories?
Click to expand...

That's your damn success story as a top 10 rep? Come on.
 












Amrix is a small percentage of Cephalons Bizness. We keep cso reps fore future products marketing to primary care. For their sake, I hope it's not in an overcrowded allergy market
 












Anonymous said:
AMRIX is no better in efficacy or safety from generic cyclobenzaprine. Firstly, good old generic cyclobenzaprine works well at 5 mg bid- just asked Merck they did the study! Secondly, AMRIX had one failed and one positive phase III trial. There were no true comparisons to FLEXERIL in either of their studies- the AEs of drowsiness cited are against historical data ! I suggest our own reps learn about our drugs. I know of no physician who will prescribe amrix at all. And recall, the patent on AMRIX is for cyclobenzaprine in a specific sustained release formulation- there is nothing to prevent a challenge to the patent (like from Lylan) or any other company from developing another sustained release formulation of cyclobenzaprine.
Click to expand...

I found this site because I was just prescribed Amrix and was doing research. Wanted to add that my doctor obviously prescribed and recommended it - so it's out there...doctors are pushing it. Also, I had no problem getting this covered by my insurance. I did have to pay $55 for a full prescription versus the regular $15 I would have paid for generic. However, that was a 2 month supply...well worth it.
 


















Vicodin CR is totally different b/c it will have a chronic indication. Amrix is not indicated for chronic use, which is really where the benefit of an extended release drug comes in....for chronic pain...around the clock.



Anonymous said:
So Abbott just got some kind of "delay" letter for their new Vicodin Cr formulation. Here is what someone posted about the situation. Pretty much head on: (copied and pasted from Abbott Board)

Re: FDA Rejects Vicodin CR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lets look at it in a realistic way, using something that is going on right now, as a guideline:

Amrix. To those of you who are unaware, Amrix is a "new" drug from Cephalon. To be blunt, it is a me-too drug of Flexeril. It is cyclobenzaprine 'extended release'. So what is going on with Amrix you ask? Here is what is going on. Flexeril generic (cyclobenzaprine) is mere pennies. Amrix costs around $ 9 dollars a capsule. A month supply goes for between $ 270- $300 dollars a pop.

Yes, doctors have been well detailed, and began writing for it strong, but now that has come to a slow, dying crawl. Why? Because they got sick and tired of being called by pharmacists saying that they cannot dispense it.

Why are the pharmacists calling? Well, a small majority call because they claim it hurts there bottom line, dispensing something that costs so much, as compared to carrying a 1000 count of cyclobenzaprine which probably costs them around $ 30.

The rest of the pharmacists, the majority of them (including chain store pharmacists who don't give a rats ass how much the drug costs, since they are just employees) call the doctors to switch for an entirely diffirent reason.
The PBM's (prescription benefit managers) and the HMO's are not putting Amrix on their formulary. Why? because it is a overpriced, ME-TOO drug. So since the drug is not on formulary, they pharmacist must call for an alternative. Can't blame the pharmacist, patients insurance doesn't cover the drug, a call must be put in.

So, the Md's, who were on board to right for the Amrix, have gotten so annoyed at all the phone calls and interuptions, they basically say, "Fuck this Amrix", and basically stop writing for it.

Here is the deal folks, Amrix is an extended release version of a 60 year old drug that is available in a immediate release generic form. Now, re-read the previous sentence, but substitute Vicodin CR in the place of Amrix.

IF this drug gets approved, and the odds are against it at this stage, the drug will not be anywhere near as much a success as Abbott hopes it will be.
Click to expand...
 






Anonymous said:
Vicodin CR is totally different b/c it will have a chronic indication. Amrix is not indicated for chronic use, which is really where the benefit of an extended release drug comes in....for chronic pain...around the clock.
Click to expand...

Wow! As a patient doing some research on a drug I was just prescribed I just happened to stumble onto this page. It's really scary that MDs are giving out meds obviously being pushed by children! Most of the posts here are rude, hateful and sound like most arguments between my teenage children! Hopefully I can find an adult discussion about this med and others I have been prescribed. I do know now I am clearly right to do some research on a drug my doc prescribed and then handed me a coupon and samples no doubt a rep dropped off. I see a few that I do not include in my description of this sight, but it's too bad that all the reps aren't promoting drugs they are truly knowledgeable about and believe in! I saw more about quotas and opinionated putdowns!
 






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