Common questions about calcitonin and cost

Here are some common questions about finasteride and their answers.

Is there a cost difference between finasteride 1 mg and finasteride 5 mg?

Finasteride oral tablets are available in 1-milligram (mg) and 5-mg strengths. The strength your doctor prescribes may affect the drug’s price.

Insurance coverage may also affect the price. Insurance plans cover finasteride differently, including the amount they may charge for copay.

To learn how much you can expect to pay for finasteride, contact your insurance provider or ask at your pharmacy.

How much does finasteride cost without insurance?

Generally, the amount you must pay for prescription drugs can be higher when you don’t have insurance. But finasteride is a generic drug. Generic drugs tend to be less expensive than their brand-name versions. (Finasteride comes as the brand-name drugs Propecia and Proscar.)

If you’ll be paying for finasteride out of pocket, you may find coupons or other assistance available to help lower its cost. For details, see the “Coupons for finasteride” section.

Why are costs different for brand-name drugs vs. generic drugs?

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

Makers of a brand-name drug can sell their drug for up to 20 years. When the patent for a brand-name drug expires, other drugmakers can create and sell generic versions. A generic medication is an identical copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication. (The active drug is an ingredient that makes the drug work.)

This competition may help keep costs for generic medications lower. Also, generic medications contain the same active drugs as brand-name medications. So they don’t require the same testing, which can be costly.

Ask your doctor if you’d like to know more about the cost difference between brand-name and generic drugs.