Yes, You Can Donate Many Unused Cancer Drugs

I first heard the term “financial toxicity” years ago when I listened to a presentation for oncologists about why patients with breast cancer might not be following doctors’ orders. Then, and now, I’ve been fortunate to have insurance that covers my treatment medication completely and supports usually reasonable prescription prices for side effects. Despite this, even my relatively low costs add up quickly, and I have never calculated exactly how much money cancer has cost my family over the last 10 years of care.

However, when a family member was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer earlier this year, I was suddenly thrust into a world where financial toxicity could easily be insurmountable. The most common subtype of breast cancer is estrogen receptor positive, occurring in about 80% of women and most men who get diagnosed. For them, many of the treatments are given orally rather than via an IV. The problem? Oral cancer drugs are not covered as well or as consistently as IV drugs. This means that many patients are paying out of pocket for high-cost chemotherapy drugs.

Over the years, I’ve lobbied for changes to coverage, so-called oral parity bills. In Illinois, where I live, oral cancer drugs are required to be covered in the same way as IV drugs. Where my relative lived — in California — there were more rules that ultimately meant she paid several thousands of dollars for one month of Ibrance (palbociclib), with her insurance agent saying that once she reached a point of catastrophic financial impact, the amount she paid would be much reduced.

Because I know many women who receive help from the pharmaceutical company that makes this particular oral drug, I reached out right away to see if my relative qualified for payment assistance. She did not, though she did come close.

This experience, watching a relative face costs that I did not, even though we both had been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and were receiving standard of care treatments, angered me. I plan to take every opportunity to talk about the need for federal legislation that provides true parity with IV cancer treatments, regardless of the patient’s stage, the type of cancer or where they receive treatment.

After paying for Ibrance and receiving the first medication shipment, she was able to take only one of the pills before cancer-related issues stopped that treatment. Not only had she just spent thousands of dollars, she would also never be using the drug. A couple of weeks after the treatment stopped, I started looking into how to donate cancer medications.

After almost 10 years with metastatic breast cancer, I know there is a lot of wasted medication. I know that in the U.S., we pay outrageously high prices compared to many other countries. I have heard all the arguments about why these high costs are necessary, and I reject them. But, practically speaking, I wanted to do whatever I could to help someone else have one month of a very costly drug. I chose to take direct action over just being mad about the situation.

There are strict rules for medication donations, of course. My first stop was Sirum (sirum.org), which has a straightforward and easy to understand website. However, after what my family had just gone through, I admit to balking at the $10 fee.

I eventually went with RemediChain (donatemymeds.org), based in Tennessee, who confirmed that the drug was acceptable and e-mailed a prepaid shipping label. Though based in Tennessee, RemediChain serves patients across the United States.

Since then, I have learned of MediCircle (medicirclerx.com), which operates in a similar fashion to RemediChain. Both of these organizations have guidelines for safety and dispensing, including eligibility requirements for patients in need of medication.

I don’t believe these donation systems are going to solve the financial toxicity experienced by far too many of us, particularly those whose best treatment options feature oral cancer drugs. Yet, I know that helping one person — even just one time — can be more powerful than you’d expect.

I am glad they are there to use, and my hope is that more people will turn to them with their unused, unopened and allowed medications. And while donating the medication didn’t dull the pain I felt knowing my relative wouldn’t receive standard of care, it did give me a sense of purpose and usefulness toward others at a point when I really needed it.

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