Official SUTENT® site—Insurance help for those without full coverage

For Physicians | For Nurses

Medication Guide | Site Map | Full Prescribing Information

Home

About kidney cancer

SUTENT and kidney cancer

First Resource Support Services

Access to Pfizer medicines

Easy steps to apply

Get the enrollment form

Tools for patients

Tools for caregivers

Education and support

Important safety information

Get e-mail updates

Treating GIST with SUTENT

Treating pancreatic NET with SUTENT

E-mail this page to a friend

Printer-friendly page

Back

SUTENT is used to treat advanced kidney cancer (advanced renal cell carcinoma or RCC).

Access to SUTENT

Through the First Resource patient assistance program, you may be able to get SUTENT for free. A First Resource counselor will help determine your eligibility and help you complete the enrollment process.

To be eligible for assistance, you must:

Have no prescription coverage*
Meet specific income guidelines, adjusted for family size
Reside in the United States, US Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico
Be treated by a licensed physician in the United States or Puerto Rico

If you do not meet these eligibility criteria but are experiencing significant financial hardship, you can apply for free medicine through Hardship Assistance. A First Resource counselor will help determine your eligibility for Hardship Assistance.

Co-payment Assistance

Co-payment assistance may be available in the form of a co-payment card. This card is an enhancement to the First Resource program that assists eligible patients who need help with their co-payments for SUTENT.*^†

To be eligible for the co-payment card, you must:

Have private insurance coverage that requires only a co-payment for prescription medicines
Be unable to afford the co-payment for your prescription medicines
Meet program guidelines for Hardship Assistance
Not reside in the state of Massachusetts or participate in any federal or state health care programs such as Medicaid or Medicare^‡

If you meet the criteria and are enrolled in the patient assistance program, you will automatically receive the card by mail. If you are eligible and need immediate financial assistance with your SUTENT co-payment, a First Resource counselor may be able to give you your card information over the phone. If you are not currently enrolled in the First Resource program, you and your physician must submit a SUTENT Enrollment Form by fax or over the phone to determine if you qualify for the co-payment card.

*	The SUTENT Co-payment Card is not health insurance. For a complete list of participating pharmacies, please call the First Resource program at 1-877-744-5675. There are no membership fees to participate. Estimated savings vary and depend on the amount of SUTENT purchased and the pharmacy where purchased.
^†	Average patient savings is $5000.
^‡	Assistance for eligible patients who reside in Massachusetts will still be available through the First Resource program. These patients will continue to receive SUTENT free of charge under Hardship Assistance. Terms and conditions apply. Speak with a First Resource counselor to learn more.

NEXT: Easy steps to apply

Pfizer and its agents cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided by insurers, nor do they guarantee insurance reimbursement. Because many factors influence reimbursement, program staff cannot anticipate or resolve all issues raised by program callers. Pfizer reserves the right to modify or discontinue the program, without notice, at any time.

SUTENT is a prescription medicine used to treat people with:

a rare cancer of the stomach, bowel, or esophagus called GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor) and when:

the medicine Gleevec^® (imatinib mesylate) did not stop the cancer from growing, or
you cannot take Gleevec^®

advanced kidney cancer (advanced renal cell carcinoma or RCC)
a type of pancreatic cancer known as pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET), that has progressed and cannot be treated with surgery

Important Safety Information
SUTENT can cause serious liver problems, including death.
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop any of the following during treatment with SUTENT: itching; yellow eyes or skin; dark urine; or pain or discomfort in the right upper stomach area.

Your healthcare provider should do blood tests to check your liver function before you start taking SUTENT and during treatment.

SUTENT may cause heart problems that can lead to death. Heart problems may include heart failure, heart muscle problems (cardiomyopathy) or abnormal heart rhythm changes. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel dizzy, faint, very tired, have abnormal heartbeats, are short of breath, or have swollen feet and ankles while taking SUTENT.

SUTENT may cause high blood pressure. Your healthcare provider may check your blood pressure, and may treat you for high blood pressure.

SUTENT may cause bleeding sometimes leading to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following during treatment with SUTENT: serious bleeding; painful swollen stomach (abdomen); vomiting blood; black sticky stools; bloody urine; headache or change in your mental status.

SUTENT may cause hormone problems, including thyroid and adrenal gland problems. Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your thyroid and adrenal gland function during SUTENT treatment.

SUTENT may harm an unborn baby (cause birth defects). Do not become pregnant. If you do, tell your healthcare provider right away. Stop taking SUTENT. Do not breastfeed while taking SUTENT.

Using SUTENT with other medicines can cause serious side effects. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines, vitamins, or herbal products you use.

You may have side effects or reactions to SUTENT. For most patients, these are moderate and may be managed, though some can be serious. Your healthcare provider may change your dose or stop your treatment. Some of the most common side effects include tiredness, weakness, fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, upset stomach, abdominal pain, constipation, skin or hair changes, taste changes, swelling, loss of appetite, and bleeding, such as from the nose or cuts. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any swelling or bleeding. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider about any new side effects you have, as well as any change or increase in any side effect.

Gleevec is a registered trademark of Novartis AG.

Please see patient Medication Guide and full prescribing information.

Pfizer is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program.

The health information contained herein is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a health care provider. All decisions regarding patient care must be made with a health care provider, considering the unique characteristics of the patient.

This product information provided in this site is intended only for residents of the United States. The products discussed herein may have different labeling in different countries.