Having trouble obtaining Rytary?

I'm sorry to hear about the trouble with Rytary. Yes, others have faced similar issues with availability. It might help to contact your doctor for alternatives or ask the pharmacy about expected restocks.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I started out on regular Carbidopa/Levodopa when I was first diagnosed. As the strength and amount changed, extended release was added, as well as trying adjuncts like ropinerole,etc. I had difficulty with the whole on/off cycle. Eventually my neurologist tried Rytary. That seemed to be the answer for me. The downside is the cost. I am in the US, and 72. I was able to use insurance and funding to get my Rytary at my local independent pharmacy. Things have been going well for the past two years, the pharmacy has changed ownership. When I called to get a refill, they said that the medication was unavailable. I called the manufacturer, Amneal, and asked if there was any regional, or national shortage. I spoke to two support representatives and neither could find any shortage issues. I checked a national data base of medications currently experiencing shortages…Rytary was not on the list. I took this information back to the pharmacy. I also made some inquires with other pharmacies and found that they could obtain Rytary.
NOW THE REST OF THE STORY…
Community pharmacies have been battered for years by big insurance plans and their monopolistic pharmacy benefit managers (PBM). As a result,they face lower reimbursements on prescriptions. With lower prescription reimbursements, 32 percent of all independent pharmacy owners say they are considering closing their doors in 2024 because of the cash crunch. Ninety-three percent say they may drop out of Medicare Part D in 2025, which would decimate patient access across the country, especially for senior citizens. More than half of all community pharmacy owners say Medicare Part D prescriptions account for 40 percent or more of their business. If a third of all community pharmacies close, and if more than 90 percent stop accepting Medicare Part D, it will be a catastrophe for seniors, a hardship for most other patients, and a devastating blow to the overall health care system. On Jan. 1, provisions from a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule took effect requiring insurance plans and PBMs to apply all price concessions – called pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration fees – at the point of sale. Until this year, those concessions were applied well after the point of sale. 99 percent of community pharmacy owners say their prescription reimbursements have gone down since Jan.1, 2024. More than half say that insurance plans and their PBMs are reimbursing pharmacies less than the cost to purchase the drug for at least 3 of every 10 prescriptions they fill. Over half of pharmacy owners say they are losing money on over 60 percent of the Part D prescriptions they fill when the other costs of running a pharmacy, like rent, taxes, utilities and payroll, are added in.

The new owner of my pharmacy is in a predicament. He needs to cut out patients that receive high dollar medications because reimbursement is low or minus his cost. So he is telling his employees to tell the patient that the drug unavailable. Which is a partial truth. IT IS UNAVAILABLE FROM HIS 3 PREFERRED WHOLESALERS! The technician I am working with went a step further and said, “There is a shortage.” That turns it into a lie. They are then saying that I should try a chain, like WalMart, CVS, etc. Basically “dumping” these high end prescriptions onto someone else. I have been told they have gone as far to ask the patient to transfer their prescription to another pharmacy, say CVS. CVS takes the beating on pricing. Then my pharmacy sends someone to pick-up the prescription, bring it back and the patient picks up at the original pharmacy even though CVS filled it! Talk about convoluted!?! If you don't want to fill my prescription because of your reimbursement, say so, don't talk to me about availability/shortages. The people who set the pricing for you and your insurance, the PBMs, are evil. Hopefully things will work out. Thanks for listening, Benamin