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Nurtec copay card: Save on migraine medication

Although the Nurtec copay card offers significant savings, you’re only eligible if you have health insurance
Taneia Surles, MPH
By | Mar. 21, 2024 Medically reviewed by Karen Berger, Pharm.D. & Scott Dershowitz, LMSW, CMC
A pharmacist holding a prescription bag that has a smiley face on it: Nurtec copay card: Save on migrain medication
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Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) is a prescription medication used to prevent and treat certain types of headaches, such as migraine. “It is an oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults,” says Michael Yudelevich, MD, an independent patient advocate at My Personal Health Advocate in New York City. 

The medicine can be pricey due to various factors, but there are ways to save money on it, including using a Nurtec copay card. 

How much does Nurtec cost?

According to Dr. Yudelevich, people without insurance may pay around $1,000 for eight orally disintegrating tablets of 75 milligrams (mg) each of Nurtec. Cost varies by pharmacy, however.

Does insurance cover Nurtec?

Insurance can cover Nurtec, but your payment may vary depending on your insurance provider and plan.

“You need to call your prescription plan to determine whether they will cover Nurtec,” says Adria Goldman Gross, a medical bill advocate and CEO and president of MedWise Insurance Advocacy in Monroe, New York. “Your prescription program might have you try less expensive medications before they will cover you for Nurtec.”

Your health insurance company may also have set guidelines you must meet to get a prescription approved and may require your healthcare provider to ask for prior authorization before approving it. If you have an insurance card, you should be able to call the phone number on the back of the card for specifics regarding your specific plan’s coverage for Nurtec.

Does Medicare cover Nurtec?

Certain Medicare plans will cover Nurtec. “The majority, around 75%, of Medicare prescription drug plans cover this medication,” Dr. Yudelevich says. “ The deductible must be met before the plan begins paying for the medication. If covered, and the deductible has been met, copays can range from as little as $0 and up to $1,149.”

All Medicare drug plans have a list of drugs they cover, known as formularies. Formularies include brand-name prescription drugs and generic drugs. If the formulary doesn’t cover Nurtec, the Medicare plan may provide a suitable alternative. 

Also, in some cases, your Medicare plan may decide to stop covering the drug at any time.

“Medicare prescription plans, as well as all prescription plans, might cover you for one medication and decide at any moment if they are not going to continue to offer that medication on their prescription plan,” Gross explains. However, there are still some protections. The formulary can only be changed after the first 60 days of the year. And if a formulary does change, the Medicare plan has to continue to cover your medication through the end of the year unless there are safety issues or there’s a generic form of the drug.

You can contact Medicare to learn more information about the program’s eligibility criteria for prescribing Nurtec.

Does Medicaid cover Nurtec?

Whether Medicaid covers Nurtec varies by state. “Each state will have different requirements to get this medication approved through their state-sponsored Medicaid plans,” Dr. Yudelevich says. “Typical requirements include having first tried and failed other medications that are listed as preferred before any nonpreferred medications can be approved.”

According to Gross, your Medicaid prescription plan will often have you try a less expensive drug that supposedly can offer the same treatment or cure that Nurtec provides. 

Why is Nurtec so expensive?

Several factors contribute to the high price point of Nurtec, such as the “cost of inventing, testing, researching, and manufacturing the medication,” Gross says.

In addition, there are currently no generic alternatives to Nurtec. Rimegepant was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2020, so it is a fairly new drug. The pharmaceutical company that makes Nurtec, Pfizer Inc., holds a patent that prohibits others from making and selling copies of the drug, including less expensive generic versions, until 2039. 

Nurtec copay assistance and other financial help

If you’re having difficulty paying for Nurtec, several options are available to help you prevent or lower out-of-pocket costs. 

Nurtec copay card 

The pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. offers a Nurtec ODT copay card for eligible patients with health insurance. If eligible, you can access the prescription medicine for as little as $0 from your pharmacist or directly from the manufacturer.

Here’s how to get the copay card:

  • If you prefer to pick up Nurtec at your local pharmacy, you can sign up for a copay card on the manufacturer’s website.
  • If you prefer to receive Nurtec directly from the manufacturer (Nurtec OneSource), your healthcare provider will write the prescription, then within a few hours, a representative will contact you for enrollment.

Here are the eligibility criteria for this copay card program:

  • Cannot be enrolled in a state or federally-funded insurance program, such as Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, Veteran Affairs health care, a state prescription drug assistance program, or the Government Health Insurance Plan available in Puerto Rico
  • Must have private or commercial insurance
  • Must be 18 years or older

You can receive one-time access to Nurtec ODT at no cost while your benefits are being verified. With this free trial, you can get up to two prescription refills for a combined maximum of 24 tablets total to supply you for a few months. The payor must approve your insurance coverage to continue receiving Nurtec ODT without paying out-of-pocket costs. 

SingleCare Prescription Savings Card

The SingleCare prescription savings card can also help you save money on Nurtec. This discount card works at several major U.S. pharmacies, like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, Rite Aid, and Meijer. 

Unlike the Nurtec copay card, which requires you to have health insurance in order to be eligible for it, the SingleCare discount card can be used by people regardless of whether they have insurance. Some people with insurance choose to use the SingleCare Prescription Savings Card instead if their drug copays are too high. With the SingleCare card, you’ll simply pay a discounted price for your prescription medications at your local pharmacy. In some instances, you can get up to 80% off your prescription prices.

With a SingleCare Nurtec ODT coupon, you may reduce the price of your medicine to as low as $850.25 for one box of eight disintegrating tablets. Visit the SingleCare website or use the mobile app to start saving.