My name is Sammie Eikel and I hail from Tampa, Florida. I am 71 years old and hoping to enjoy my retirement as best I can. However, I deal with the symptoms of Stage 4 COPD every day. It affects my ability to enjoy my life in Tampa because it is sometimes difficult to breathe.
My doctor prescribed me GlaxoSmithKline’s Trelegy Ellipta inhaler, which he thought would be the best fit for me. At first, I was paying $37.50, which is quite high a cost on its own. However, we’re able to manage that even though I’m on a fixed income.
Unfortunately, we hit the Medicare donut hole after only a few months, and I’m suddenly being asked to pay almost $500 for the Trelegy Ellipta. This is a shocking amount, and one I simply cannot afford.
Trelegy Ellipta is a medicine that is the difference between living or dying for me. It opens up my airways so that I can breathe better, and GlaxoSmithKline threatens that by charging such high prices.
Patients For Affordable Drugs is the only independent national patient organization focused exclusively on achieving policy changes to lower the price of prescription drugs.
