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Key takeaways
Dupixent is an injectable biologic medication prescribed for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, eosinophilic esophagitis, and prurigo nodularis.
Dupixent is a specialty drug and can only be filled from a specialty pharmacy. Specialty pharmacies dispense medications for complex or chronic diseases, including drugs that are expensive or need to be handled or administered in a specific way.
You will need to receive prior authorization from your insurance carrier before filling your Dupixent prescription, but your healthcare provider’s office can assist you in submitting the paperwork and sending your prescription to the specialty pharmacy your insurance carrier uses for specialty drugs.
Dupixent (dupilumab) is an injectable prescription medication that’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat atopic dermatitis, asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, prurigo nodularis, and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).
“As an injectable biologic medication, Dupixent is derived from cells in a lab using DNA technology that allows it to target a specific type of inflammation,” said Brendan Camp, MD, a dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology: Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery in New York. This is one of the reasons why Dupixent is a specialty drug and can only be filled by a specialty pharmacy.
“Specialty drugs are medications used to treat complex, chronic health conditions and are only available through certain pharmacies,” said Jody A. Levine, MD, dermatologist at Plastic Surgery & Dermatology of NYC, PLLC in New York City. “Dupixent is a specialty drug because it is used to treat chronic and severe eczema that doesn’t resolve with usual treatments such as creams and corticosteroids.”
If you’ve been prescribed Dupixent and are wondering how to fill your prescription, here’s what you need to know about specialty pharmacies, including how to find one and how long you can expect to wait to receive your medication.
What are specialty pharmacies?
Specialty pharmacies are state-licensed pharmacies that dispense specialty drugs. According to the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP), specialty drugs have complexities that may be due to the drug itself or any of the following:
- The way they’re administered (i.e., given by IV or injection)
- The disease or condition they’re used to treat
- Side effects that require extra patient management or monitoring
- High cost that may cause financial hardship to the patient
- Special access conditions required by the manufacturer
- Payer authorization or benefit requirements
Specialty pharmacies have many things in common with brick-and-mortar retail pharmacies and mail-order pharmacies; they all employ pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and administrative and customer service employees to provide patients with their medications. But there are some differences, too.
Retail pharmacies can dispense hundreds of over-the-counter and prescription medications used to treat common illnesses and conditions, but a specialty pharmacy can help patients with complex diseases safely take their specialty medications, access financial assistance programs to offset the high costs of these drugs, and coordinate with their care team to make sure their condition is being correctly managed while taking a specialty medication.
A mail-order pharmacy will ship or deliver your medication to your home, similar to a specialty pharmacy, but typically still only handles non-specialty drugs that can be taken easily at home by the patient. A specialty pharmacy will deliver your medications to your home or your doctor’s office, and when necessary, they can even schedule a nurse or other healthcare professional to come and administer intravenous medication to you as well.
How to get Dupixent from a specialty pharmacy
Once your healthcare provider has decided that Dupixent is the next step in your treatment plan, Dr. Camp says the drug will need to be approved by your health insurance carrier, which is known as getting prior authorization. This means your insurance carrier is agreeing to cover some or all of the cost of your medication under your benefits plan.
“Some insurance carriers require patients to try other, often less-expensive medications before they approve the use of Dupixent,” Dr. Camp added, so make sure you ask your provider if you’ve met the requirements. After that, the steps will vary based on whether or not your insurance carrier approves the prescription.
If your insurance is covering Dupixent
If you receive approval to take Dupixent, Dr. Levine says a specialty pharmacy will contact you or your provider’s office to coordinate delivery. According to the manufacturer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., your healthcare provider needs to show you the correct way to administer Dupixent before you can take it. Your first prescription may be delivered to your doctor’s office so you can learn how to inject it correctly. After that, you can decide if you would prefer to return to your doctor’s office for each dose or to administer the injection to yourself at home.
Enrolling in Dupixent MyWay, the drug’s patient assistance program, makes getting your prescription sent to your home easier. It offers to connect you with a nurse educator for more assistance with injecting the medication and helps you schedule future refills. If you have health insurance and meet eligibility requirements, you may also be able to get Dupixent for free with the Dupixent MyWay copay card.
RELATED: How to save on Dupixent
If your insurance is not covering Dupixent
Dr. Levine says that if you’re planning to pay out-of-pocket for your Dupixent prescription, you don’t need to go through the step of obtaining prior authorization—you would simply pay your specialty pharmacy the cost of the medication and coordinate your delivery. Without insurance, the typical retail price of Dupixent is $5,150 for two 300 mg/2 ml pens, which is a month’s supply in most cases.
Through its prescription savings card program, SingleCare can help you save money on Dupixent without insurance by allowing you to search for pharmacies with the lowest prices on Dupixent. With a Dupixent coupon from SingleCare, you could pay about $3,600 for two 300 mg/2 ml pens, depending on your choice of pharmacy.
The Dupixent MyWay patient assistance program can not only connect you with a nurse educator to help you administer the drug, but it can also provide you access to free Dupixent if you don’t have insurance and meet its eligibility requirements. Discuss this option with your healthcare provider, as they’ll need to complete and sign the enrollment form for you.
How to find a Dupixent specialty pharmacy
For most people, this is one of the easiest steps. The majority of insurance carriers contract with a specialty pharmacy for the dispensing of specialty medications, so you won’t need to find or choose a specialty pharmacy by yourself. All you have to do is fill your Dupixent prescription through that specialty pharmacy, according to Dr. Camp.
“Your insurance carrier may have its own specialty pharmacy as part of its benefits plan,” said Dr. Levine, but there are also several specialty pharmacies that work with many insurance carriers.
How long does it take to receive Dupixent from a specialty pharmacy?
The timing varies based on a few factors, per the manufacturer, including how long it takes to get approval and prior authorization from your insurance carrier and how long it takes to connect with your assigned specialty pharmacy and schedule your medication delivery. Dr. Levine says that, on average, it can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks for you to get your medication for the first time.
Sources
- What is specialty pharmacy?, National Association of Specialty Pharmacy
- What’s so special about specialty pharmacy?, Patient Advocate Foundation
- How specialty pharmacies can make a difference, Acreedo (2023)
- Dupixent patient information, Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2024)
- Dupixent MyWay, Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Dupixent MyWay copay card, Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
