Apoquel... Supply/demand And The Profit Motive

[Greydawg]

Finally, an effective allergy treatment! With Apoquel, Heisman's paws are not raging red, sore and irritating like they used to be. He has been on Apoquel since Spring 2014, that is, when our vet was able to get it.

 

I understand that demand for this new miracle drug is high, and I have been mystified by the lack of supply. Until there is a competitive alternative, I get that Zoetis, the manufacturer, has the right control supply and raise prices to whatever they like.

 

But really! I was paying $1.50 per pill, retail. Today, I just picked up another 30 day supply, and paid $2.24 per pill. The vet's office cashier said Zoetis had a price increase. This is nearly a 50% increase! Crazy.

 

Anyone else have this problem?

[tbhounds]

My boy has been on apoquel since last April. I was lucky i was able to aquire a large supply through our zoetis rep (one of the few benefits of being a tech). They had trouble importing the product to the USA (legal mumble jumbo) until recently. I last bought the medication a few months ago through the derm vet which to be honest is expensive so, I really can't give an honest comparison to what you had posted. I have to say though that Apoquel has worked really well in delivering comfort to my allergy boy.

[JJNg]

It's not about controlling the supply. They weren't able to keep up with demand for the drug, and the company has taken a lot of criticism from the profession about it. Lots of hype and marketing, but then they weren't able to meet the demand and were already backordered within a month of launching the product. For a while, they were limiting sales to vets who'd already started using it, but weren't always able to fill even those orders in a timely manner. While it looks like a good product, and I was excited when I first heard about it, I honestly haven't started carrying it yet, and probably won't until it looks like the supply is going to be more reliable.

[Katy_3131]

It's not about controlling the supply. They weren't able to keep up with demand for the drug, and the company has taken a lot of criticism from the profession about it. Lots of hype and marketing, but then they weren't able to meet the demand and were already backordered within a month of launching the product. For a while, they were limiting sales to vets who'd already started using it, but weren't always able to fill even those orders in a timely manner. While it looks like a good product, and I was excited when I first heard about it, I honestly haven't started carrying it yet, and probably won't until it looks like the supply is going to be more reliable.

This is almost verbatim what my RVT wife just said when i asked what Apoquel was.

[tbhounds]

I was told import woes--were only able to ship a limited supply. I'm sure somewhere there there's some truth. I'm just delighted that I can still find it. Apoquel has really helped.