Gardasil 9 cost and coupons

Gardasil 9 comes as an injection that a healthcare professional will inject into your muscle.

Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gardasil 9 in children and adults ages 9–45 years to:

• help prevent certain cancers or spots that may turn into cancer caused by some types of human papillomavirus virus (HPV)
• help prevent genital warts caused by some types of HPV

The approved uses of Gardasil 9 are different for males and females.*

Read on to learn about Gardasil 9 and its cost. You’ll also find available coupons and suggestions for ways to save on your prescription. If you’d like more information about Gardasil 9, including its uses, refer to this overview article.

* Sex and gender exist on spectrums. In this article, we use the terms “male” and “female” to refer to a person’s sex assigned at birth.

Cost of Gardasil 9

Like other medications, the cost of Gardasil 9 can vary. Certain factors may affect its price, such as:

• your insurance plan, if you have coverage
• the cost to visit a healthcare professional to receive doses of Gardasil 9

To find out how much Gardasil 9 costs, ask your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider. They may be able to suggest ways to save money on your prescription, including those described in this article. To find out what you’d pay using savings coupons, read the following section.

Coupons for Gardasil 9

Prescription drug coupons can help you save money by lowering the cost of Gardasil 9.

Visit this page to access Optum Perks coupons and get price estimates for Gardasil 9 when you use the coupons. These coupons can provide significant savings on your prescription costs.

Note: Optum Perks coupons cannot be used with any insurance copays or benefits.

Available app for coupons

To make finding and using these coupons easier, you can download the Optum Perks app. To learn more about this prescription discount app, see this article.

Insurance and other considerations for Gardasil 9

Here’s a list of things to consider about the cost of prescription drugs:

• Prior authorization. If you have prescription drug insurance, your insurance company may require prior authorization before it covers the cost of Gardasil 9. In this case, your doctor will communicate with your insurance company regarding your prescription for Gardasil 9. The insurance company will decide whether to cover the medication. If a drug requires prior authorization and you begin receiving it without this, you may have to pay the full price of the drug.
• Insurance coverage. Even if your policy has prescription drug coverage, the price of Gardasil 9 may instead be billed through your medical coverage. That’s because Gardasil 9 doses are given by a doctor or another healthcare professional. The cost of your doses will depend on your specific insurance plan and whether you receive the doses at your doctor’s clinic or a pharmacy. If you have questions about this process, contact your doctor or your insurance provider.

If you have questions about any of these considerations, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Or contact your insurance company and talk with a representative.

If you don’t have a health insurance plan, let your doctor or pharmacist know. They may suggest online pharmacy options you could use. You can also ask them about ways to obtain health insurance coverage.

Brand-names vs. biosimilars

Gardasil 9 is a brand-name medication. It’s not available in a biosimilar version.

How biosimilars and generics compare

A biosimilar medication is a drug that’s similar to a brand-name biologic drug (the parent drug). A generic medication is an identical copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication. (An active drug is the ingredient that makes a medication work.)

Biosimilars tend to cost less than brand-name medications. Like generics, biosimilars are thought to be as safe and effective as the brand-name drug.

Common questions about Gardasil 9 and cost

Here are some common questions about Gardasil 9 and their answers.

How much does Gardasil 9 cost without insurance?

It depends. The price of Gardasil 9 without insurance is determined by several factors. For example, the cost can vary based on where you receive doses of the vaccine. Gardasil 9 may be given at a pharmacy or your doctor’s office.

To learn how much you’ll pay for Gardasil 9 without insurance, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. They can provide details about the cost of your treatment plan.

Why are costs different for biologic drugs vs. biosimilar drugs?

Biologic drugs can be expensive because of the studies needed to test how safe and effective they are.

Makers of a biologic drug can sell their drug for up to 12 years. When the patent for a brand-name biologic drug expires, other drugmakers can make and sell biosimilar versions. A biosimilar medication is a drug that’s similar to a brand-name biologic drug (the parent drug).

This competition may help keep the costs of biosimilar medications lower. Also, biosimilar medications are very similar to biologic drugs. So they don’t require the same testing, which may be costly.

If you’d like to know more about the cost differences between brand-name and generic drugs, talk with your doctor.

What to ask about Gardasil 9

This article provides cost information related to Gardasil 9. It also offers suggestions for ways to save money on your prescription. You’ll find a link to coupons for Gardasil 9 near the beginning of this article.

If you have more questions about paying for this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist. You can also contact your insurance company.

Here’s a list of questions you may want to ask regarding the cost of your medication:

• How much will Gardasil 9 cost per dose, and how many doses will I need?
• What are my options if I’m unable to afford the HPV vaccine?
• Does the cost of Gardasil 9 depend on where I go to receive my doses?

Disclaimer: Optum Perks 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.