The price you pay for Qutenza may depend on factors such as your dosage, whether you have health insurance, and the pharmacy you use. Financial assistance may be available to help you with the cost of Qutenza.

Several factors can affect the price you’ll pay for Qutenza [link to head term]. These include:

  • your treatment plan
  • your insurance coverage
  • the pharmacy you use
  • the cost of the visit to your healthcare professional to receive Qutenza patches
  • available financial assistance for Qutenza (see the “Financial and insurance assistance” section)

Qutenza may need to be purchased through a specialty pharmacy authorized to carry specialty drugs. This type of drug may be costly or require help from healthcare professionals to be taken safely and effectively. For more details about how to obtain Qutenza, talk with your doctor.

To find out your cost for Qutenza, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider. This section also has information about how much you can save by using an Optum Perks coupon.

Coupons and savings

To save money on your Qutenza prescription, explore these Optum Perks coupons.

Qutenza only comes as a brand-name drug. It’s not currently available in a generic version. A generic contains an exact copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication but tends to cost less.

Why is there such a cost difference between brand-name drugs and generics?

Years of research and testing are needed to ensure that brand-name drugs are safe and effective. This testing can make the drugs expensive. The manufacturer of a brand-name drug can sell the drug exclusively for up to 20 years. After that, other drugmakers can create generic versions. This competition in the market can lead to lower costs for generics. And because generics have the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs, they don’t need to be studied again. This can also lead to lower generic costs.

If you need financial support to pay for Qutenza or help understanding your insurance coverage, assistance is available. For example:

  • A program called My QUTENZA is available for Qutenza. For more information and to find out whether you’re eligible for support, call 833-295-3579 or visit the program website.
  • Some websites provide details about drug assistance programs, ways to make the most of your insurance coverage, and links to savings cards and other services. Two such websites are:

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about Qutenza’s cost.

How much does Qutenza cost with insurance vs. without it?

What you pay for Qutenza if you have insurance compared to what you’d pay without it depends on several factors.

Factors that could affect what you pay for this drug without insurance include:

  • whether you apply and qualify for any available savings programs
  • the pharmacy you use

These same factors may affect your price for Qutenza if you have insurance. But the price you pay with insurance will also depend on:

  • your specific plan benefits
  • any prior authorization requirements you have for drug coverage

To learn more about what you’d pay for Qutenza with or without insurance, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider (if you have one).

Is Qutenza covered by Medicare?

It may be. You can call your Medicare plan provider to learn whether your particular plan covers the cost of this drug. There are many types of Medicare plans, so your coverage and what you pay for prescriptions will be based on your particular plan’s benefits.

The total price you pay for Qutenza may also depend on the cost to receive patches at your doctor’s office or clinic. You may also need to obtain prior authorization before your plan will cover the cost of this medication.

Your doctor may also be able to provide information about your cost for Qutenza if you have Medicare.

You may want to consider the following information if you have insurance and [take/use] Qutenza.

Prior authorization: If you have insurance, your insurance company may require prior authorization before it covers Qutenza. This means the company and your doctor will discuss the drug in regard to your treatment. The insurance company will then determine whether Qutenza is covered. If a drug requires prior authorization but you start treatment without the prior approval, you could pay the full cost of the medication. You can ask your insurance company whether Qutenza requires prior authorization.

Type of insurance coverage: Qutenza is given by your doctor or another healthcare professional. If you have insurance, the price of your Qutenza doses may be billed through your medical coverage instead of the prescription drug portion of your insurance plan. This depends on your specific insurance plan and where you receive your Qutenza doses, such as at your doctor’s office, an infusion clinic, or a hospital. If you have questions about this process, contact your doctor or your insurance provider.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.