Generic Arimidex - Roxane Pharmaceuticals???

BetsyJane
BetsyJane Member Posts: 127
in Breast Cancer #1
Is anyone taking the generic form of Arimidex? Could you please tell me what Pharmaceuticaul company you getting your drug from? I thought I read that some women are experiencing more side effects from the generic brand vs. the real deal. Do you know if there is any difference, except for the cost, and a few slightly different additives?

I am very uneasy about taking the generic brand but cannot afford $900 each month for the real deal. My insurance company said they will pay for the generic brand of Arimidex (and I will pay the difference of about $100/month). The company I will be getting my drug from is Roxane Pharmaceuticals. Is anyone getting their drug from this company? Have you had any problems?

I called Roxane Pharm. to make sure this drug was being manufactured here in the U.S. They said it is. I thought I read it was manufactured somewhere else. I know Roxane is a US-based subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim in Germany.....I just don't want to get this drug from overseas.

Thank you for any questions you can answer for me.

Comments

  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    #2
    I've been on it for a several months.
    I'm at work so I don't have the name of the product but I buy it at CVS. My symptoms are minimal and the same for both. Last time I bought it the cost was $11.88. Big cost reduction!

    Roseann
  • BetsyJane
    BetsyJane Member Posts: 127
    #3
    roseann4 said:

    I've been on it for a several months.
    I'm at work so I don't have the name of the product but I buy it at CVS. My symptoms are minimal and the same for both. Last time I bought it the cost was $11.88. Big cost reduction!

    Roseann

    Forgot to add - What time do you take the Arimidex
    I forgot to add to my original post --- what time of day do you take the arimidex?
  • BetsyJane
    BetsyJane Member Posts: 127
    #4
    roseann4 said:

    I've been on it for a several months.
    I'm at work so I don't have the name of the product but I buy it at CVS. My symptoms are minimal and the same for both. Last time I bought it the cost was $11.88. Big cost reduction!

    Roseann

    Thank you.
    Thank you Roseann. Were you originally on the brand name Arimidex before switching to the generic?
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #5
    BetsyJane said:

    Forgot to add - What time do you take the Arimidex
    I forgot to add to my original post --- what time of day do you take the arimidex?

    Hi Betsy
    I've been taking the generic form of Arimidex (Anastrozole) for 18 months. The manufacturer on my bottle is "Breckenridge" which is an American company. However, I'm not sure if it's manufactured here or not. I take mine in the a.m. with various supplements and vitamins. I've done quite well on it--I do get some joint pain and stiffness when I've been sitting, laying down a while but it goes away after I start moving around again. I've also had some weight gain--which could also be from the antidepressant I'm on as well. There have been some hot flashes/night time sweating, but not too bad.

    For me, none of these things would make me stop taking it. I like knowing that I am doing one more thing to keep me well.

    Good luck to you.

    Hugs, Renee
  • Different Ballgame
    Different Ballgame Member Posts: 868
    #6
    Anastrozole - Made by NATCO Pharm - India
    Dear BetsyJane,

    I first took the brand Arimidex, then I took the generic Anastrozole. Anastrozole is made by NATCO Pharm, an company from India. I did some searching on the internet, found their site and then decided to go Finance to read more about them. Projected sales for this drug in 2010 was estimated to be $750 million.

    I was on Anastrozole for 3 months and stopped because of side effects. Side effects for me were with the brand, then the generic Anastrozole. Side effects were similar, yet different. Did not stay on generic long enough to find out if more side effects would emerge.

    When the generic was offered, my pharmacy was Osco - Park Ridge, IL. This was the only generic offered. I was not comfortable knowing that it was made in India and that an Indian company would be making tons of money from women taking the drug.

    So...from what I am reading on this post, there are more companies making the generic. If you want to know more about any company, also check them on Yahoo - Finance.

    Lots of Hugs,

    Janelle
  • Different Ballgame
    Different Ballgame Member Posts: 868
    #7
    BetsyJane said:

    Forgot to add - What time do you take the Arimidex
    I forgot to add to my original post --- what time of day do you take the arimidex?

    Morning
    Hi Betsy, I took it in the morning.

    Janelle
  • mckevnic
    mckevnic Member Posts: 71
    #8
    On generic since Jan 2011
    Well after reading your post, I ran to my cabinet to see who the manufacturer was. It is Accord/Zydus. I have been taking this anastrozole (never got brand name because of insurance) for 10 months now and the symptoms/side effects although worse initially, continue now and cause me lots of frustration. I have such constant stiffness that I just made an appointment today with my primary doc to see if she can give me something to help. I can't even bend over to pick something up off the floor. It's terrible. My chemo doc prescribed this arimidex but his mentality is I should just deal with the side effects. He told me they would get better after about 6 months-and they did-but I just can't live like this anymore. Instead of feeling like a 90 yr old, I feel like an 80 yr old....in a 43 yr old body. I take this med at dinner with my calcium/Vit D.
    Chris
  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    #9
    mckevnic said:

    On generic since Jan 2011
    Well after reading your post, I ran to my cabinet to see who the manufacturer was. It is Accord/Zydus. I have been taking this anastrozole (never got brand name because of insurance) for 10 months now and the symptoms/side effects although worse initially, continue now and cause me lots of frustration. I have such constant stiffness that I just made an appointment today with my primary doc to see if she can give me something to help. I can't even bend over to pick something up off the floor. It's terrible. My chemo doc prescribed this arimidex but his mentality is I should just deal with the side effects. He told me they would get better after about 6 months-and they did-but I just can't live like this anymore. Instead of feeling like a 90 yr old, I feel like an 80 yr old....in a 43 yr old body. I take this med at dinner with my calcium/Vit D.
    Chris

    Yes I was on The brand name product.
    My oncologist who I love assured me that Anastrozole would give me the same protection. I trust her completely. I have some night sweats and a slight pain in my fingers which improves later in the day. Please pm me any time. Hugs.

    Roseann
  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    #10
    I take it before bed.
    Sorry. I forget to say that.

    Roseann
  • sbmly53
    sbmly53 Member Posts: 1,522
    #11
    I started on Arimidex,
    but was switched to generic after 3 months. My side effects seem to be the same on both. My se's are minimal - a little joint pain, sore feet - and have subsided. My brand is Breckenridge, but I'll bet that the pharmacy fills it differently as their stock changes.

    I take mine at bedtime and have been on it for 17 months.

    Sue
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #12
    I take the generic
    form of Arimidex (Anastrozole). I get my script at CVS. My copay is low. I've been on it since the first week of January 2011 and so far am tolerating side effects. I already had osteoarthritis pain and hot flashes. I take it in the morning with my other meds. The only meds I take at night are cholesterol and muscle relaxer.
    Char
  • BetsyJane
    BetsyJane Member Posts: 127
    #13
    cahjah75 said:

    I take the generic
    form of Arimidex (Anastrozole). I get my script at CVS. My copay is low. I've been on it since the first week of January 2011 and so far am tolerating side effects. I already had osteoarthritis pain and hot flashes. I take it in the morning with my other meds. The only meds I take at night are cholesterol and muscle relaxer.
    Char

    Generic Arimidex arrived yesterday
    I want to say a million thanks for all the answers I received back. You women are the absolute best. What would I do without you. I have learned so much from you ladies in the past several months and I will do my best to answer questions (from my own bc experiences) to help others as well.

    By the way, my prescription for generic Arimidex arrived yesterday. I have stared at the bottle but haven't started taking it. I'll probably start within the next week or so. I just need to scrape up the courage to begin. I'm sure some of you know exactly what I mean.

    God Bless You All!

    Betsy
  • Adarsh
    Adarsh Member Posts: 1
    #14
    Generic Arimidex
    Dear friends,
    I am Adarsh Gupta from India and if anyone wants to purchase generic Arimidex, I can send it from India at a rate of 120 USD for 30 tablets including cost of postage. Its brand name in India is ARMOTRAZ 1mg tablets, it contains anastrazole 1 mg, it is manufactured by CIPLA Limited which has sales of 304 million USD in 2011. Its products are distributed in more than 180 countries worldwide. Cipla is also highly regarded for technological innovation and manufacturing processes, and has been approved by numerous international regulatory bodies such as:
    • Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA
    • Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), UK
    • Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia
    • Medicines Control Council (MCC), South Africa
    • Országos Gyógyszerészeti Intézet = National Institute of Pharmacy (NIP), Hungary
    • Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention (PIC), Germany
    • World Health Organisation (WHO)
    • Health Canada, Canada
    • SUKL = State Institute for the Control of Drugs, Slovak Republic
    • Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária = National Health Surveillance Agency Brazil (ANVISA), Brazil
    You can read about this company in Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cipla
    If interested write to me at anil4433@gmail.com
  • tufi000
    tufi000 Member Posts: 745 Member
    #15
    Brand name since 2003
    But last year, when I went on medicare as primary insurer, they made me check. So I called Walgreens, who would charge $247 a month without insurance on brand name, to ask where the generic is made and they couldn't tell me. But they said my insurance would cover as usual on brand name if doc prescribed brand name only and that is what I am doing.

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