I am new here, have been reading postings for a few months and want to thank all of you for your sharing. My 80yr. old mother has lung cancer. She has had radiation and 6 treatments of Chemo. Yesterday she was in the hospital and was given two units of blood because she was severly anemic. She needed to have the drug Procrit but it is so expensive, over four hundred dollars a shot! she refused to have it. I am worried now they want to start her on Iressa, because she may again think it is too expensive. Does anyone know how much it may cost or have any experience with having medicare pay for it. Thank You, Brigid

My mother was on IRESSA for about 2 months - it didn't help her - but I had researched in on the internet before she signed up for it and it has had some good results with other patients.

In Jan. when mom was first given IRESSA it was a "trial drug program" meaning it had not yet been approved by the FDA; and there was no cost to my mom to be involved in this study.

Good luck

Since the drug has been approved....has anyone heard how much it will cost???

My father's oncologist says it will cost $2000/month. He says that Medicare will cover 80%, but I'm not so sure about this. In fact, I doubt it. He also mentioned that financial help or discounts may be available from the drug manufacturer.

I bill Medicare for a living. That is why I have lost
my mind. I just researched Iressa today. It is approved by the FDA, but it is not covered by Medicare yet. The doctors really do not know and they
speak like they do, it is so confusing, especially to the elderly

How long until you can see some response to Iressa? Any info is appreciated on the subject.

How long until you can see some response to Iressa? Any info is appreciated on the subject.

Hope1220: How long was your Mom on Iressa before they decided it wasn't working? What test were done to determine this?