Key takeaways

  • The cost of Tremfya can vary depending on the form of the drug, your insurance coverage, and whether you receive injections at a doctor’s office or administer them yourself at home.
  • Financial assistance options, such as copay cards and patient assistance programs, are available to help offset the cost of Tremfya for eligible individuals.
  • Although Tremfya is available only as a brand-name biologic drug, you may be able to reduce your costs by exploring insurance plans or discussing alternative treatments with your doctor.

The price you pay for Tremfya can vary. Your cost may depend on:

  • your treatment plan
  • your insurance coverage
  • the pharmacy you use
  • the cost of visits to your healthcare professional to receive doses of Tremfya
  • available financial assistance for Tremfya

Tremfya’s price may also depend on whether you need to go to a doctor’s office for injections. A healthcare professional may show you how to give yourself Tremfya injections at home. So you may not need to pay for office visits for getting your doses of the drug.

To find out how much you’ll pay for Tremfya, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider. They may be able to provide you with your Tremfya cost per dose or per month, based on your insurance plan and other factors.

If you need financial support to pay for Tremfya or help understanding your insurance coverage, assistance is available. For example:

  • A copay savings program, called Tremfya withMe, is available from Johnson & Johnson (the company that makes Tremfya) if you have insurance. To learn more to see if you are eligible, visit the Tremfya website.
  • If you don’t have insurance, you may be eligible for Johnson & Johnson’s Patient Assistance Program. This program can help lower the cost or completely cover the cost of certain medications, including Tremfya. To learn more about this program and see if you’re eligible, visit the company’s support webpage or call 833-948-4631.
  • Some websites provide details about drug assistance programs, ways to make the most of your insurance coverage, and links to savings cards and other services. Two such websites are:

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Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about Tremfya and cost.

How much does Tremfya cost without insurance and with insurance?

What you pay for Tremfya if you have insurance compared with what you’d pay without it depends on several factors. In many cases, the cost of Tremfya will be higher for people without insurance.

Factors that could affect what you pay for this drug without insurance include:

  • the quantity you’re prescribed (such as a 90-day or 30-day supply)
  • whether you apply and qualify for any available savings programs
  • your dosage and treatment plan
  • the pharmacy you use
  • the form of the drug you’re prescribed

These same factors may affect your price for Tremfya if you have insurance. But the price you pay with insurance will also depend on:

  • your specific plan benefits
  • any prior authorization requirements you have for drug coverage

To learn more about what you’d pay for Tremfya with or without insurance, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider (if you have one).

Is Tremfya’s cost covered by Medicare?

It’s likely that Medicare will cover Tremfya. Tremfya’s manufacturer provides some information on what people who have certain Medicare plans currently pay for the drug.

If you have Medicare, you do not qualify for the Tremfya withMe savings program. If you’re having trouble paying for your prescription, you may find this Medicare Resource Guide helpful.

There are many types of Medicare plans, so your coverage and what you pay for prescriptions will be based on your particular plan’s benefits. If you’d like to know what your cost of Tremfya will be through your Medicare plan, contact your Medicare plan administrator.

Tremfya only comes as a brand-name biologic drug, which is a drug made from parts of living organisms. It’s not currently available in a biosimilar version.

A biosimilar medication is a drug that’s similar to, but not an exact copy of, a brand-name biologic drug. (Biologics cannot be copied exactly because they are made from parts of living organisms.) Biosimilars are considered just as safe and effective as their parent biologic. Biosimilars may cost less than brand-name biologic drugs.

Why is there such a difference in the cost of brand-name biologic drugs vs. biosimilar drugs?

Years of research and testing are needed to ensure that brand-name biologic drugs are safe and effective. This testing can make the drugs expensive. The drugmaker of a brand-name biologic can sell the drug for up to 12 years. After that, other drugmakers can create biosimilar versions. This competition in the market can lead to lower costs for biosimilars. And because biosimilars are very similar to biologic drugs, they don’t need to be studied again. This can also lead to lower biosimilar costs.

If you take Tremfya long term, you may be able to lower your costs in the following ways:

  • Look into getting a 90-day supply of your medication: You may be able to get a 90-day supply of Tremfya if approved by your insurance company. This could reduce your number of trips to the pharmacy and help lower the cost of Tremfya. If you’re interested in getting a 90-day supply of this drug, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.
  • Use a mail-order pharmacy to get your medication: Using a mail-order pharmacy might help lower your cost for Tremfya. Plus, you could get your medication without leaving home. Some Medicare plans may help cover the cost of mail-order drugs. You may also be able to get a 90-day supply of the drug through mail order. If you don’t have health insurance, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to suggest online pharmacy options that could work for you.

If you still have questions about the cost of Tremfya, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to give you a better idea of what you’ll pay for this drug. But if you have health insurance, you’ll need to talk with your insurance provider to learn the actual cost you’d pay for Tremfya.

For more information about Tremfya, you might be interested in these articles:

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.