A US Cross-Sectional Analysis of Annual Out-of-Pocket Cost Disparities of Erectile Dysfunction Medications.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
INTRODUCTION: Our objective was to understand the out-of-pocket annual costs of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) through drug coverage programs in the United States. METHODS: We compared the annual out-of-pocket costs of the lowest and highest routinely prescribed dosage of medications for Sildenafil, Tadalafil, and Vardenafil across widely used pharmaceutical sources. We examined the cost of PDE5 inhibitors under Medicare Part D at 1) hospital retail pharmacies and 2) three commercial retail pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart). These findings were compared to discount platforms GoodRx (via CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart), Mark Cuban Cost Plus, and Amazon Pharmacy. RESULTS: For Sildenafil 20mg, the Part D annual out-of-pocket costs including hospitals and retail pharmacies were comparable ranging from $1 024-$1 098. The cost at discount platforms was cheaper, ranging from $82-$275. For Sildenafil 100mg, the hospital-based pharmacies had a median price of $1 446, whereas retail pharmacies under Part D ranged from $22 528-$22 542. Discount platforms were preferred at $89-$324. For Tadalafil 2.5mg, the Part D groups ranged from $4 721-$4 759. The cost of this drug via discount platforms was much lower, ranging from $82-$312. For Tadalafil 20mg, the cost via Part D ranged from $25 210-$25 235. The discount platforms were reported to have lower costs ranging from $103-$496. Vardenafil ranged from $19 015-$19 039 from Part D groups and $86-418 from discount platforms. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant cost-savings when utilizing discount platforms, which should be discussed to help patients improve accessibility and compliance with ED medications.
