Zosyn

Introduction

Written by Julz Richterman, PharmD, MBA, BCGP
Medically reviewed by Brittany A. Duke, PharmD, RPh
Updated on July 11, 2024

Zosyn is a brand-name medication that’s prescribed for certain bacterial infections. It’s available in a generic version called piperacillin/tazobactam. The cost of Zosyn with or without insurance can depend on several factors.

Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zosyn to treat:

• infections within your abdominal region in adults and certain children
• pneumonia in adults and certain children
• skin infections in adults
• female pelvic infections in adults

Read on to learn about Zosyn and cost. To learn more about Zosyn, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

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

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Cost of Zosyn

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

• your insurance plan, if you have coverage
• whether Zosyn is covered under your medical insurance or your prescription benefit
• the cost to receive doses of Zosyn from a healthcare professional
• the amount prescribed

To find out how much Zosyn costs, ask your doctor or insurance provider.

Coupons for medications

Prescription drug coupons can help you save money by lowering the cost of certain medications. The Optum Perks coupons above can provide significant savings on your prescription costs.

However, coupons aren’t available for medications, such as Zosyn, that are only given by a healthcare professional.

Note: Optum Perks coupons can’t be used with 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 Zosyn

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 Zosyn. In this case, your doctor will communicate with your insurance company regarding your prescription for Zosyn. The insurance company will decide whether to cover the medication. If a drug requires prior authorization and you begin taking 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 Zosyn may instead be billed through your medical coverage. This is because a doctor or another healthcare professional gives doses of Zosyn. 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 hospital. If you have questions about this process, contact your doctor or your insurance provider.
• Savings accounts: If you’re eligible for a health savings account (HSA) or a flexible spending account (FSA), you can likely use funds from these accounts to pay for copays. These include copays for visits to the doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital to receive doses of Zosyn. HSA and FSA plans help people save money by using pretax dollars to pay for eligible healthcare expenses, such as prescription and OTC drugs. To learn more about whether you’re eligible for these savings accounts and how to use them, talk with your insurance provider or employer.

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. generics

Zosyn is a brand-name medication. It’s available as a generic version called piperacillin/tazobactam.

A generic medication is an identical copy of the active ingredient in a brand-name medication. An active ingredient is what makes medication work. Generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs. And they’re thought to be as safe and effective as the brand-name version.

If your doctor has prescribed Zosyn, but you’re interested in piperacillin/tazobactam, let them know. They may have a reason to prescribe one medication over the other. Also, check which versions of the drug your insurance plan covers, as it may not cover all medications.

To learn how the cost of Zosyn compares with its generic version, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. You could also contact your insurance company.

Why costs are 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 patent and sell their drug for up to 20 years. When the patent for a brand-name drug expires, other drugmakers can make and sell generic versions.

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

This is why the cost of Zosyn per day tends to be more than the cost of the generic version piperacillin/tazobactam per day.

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

Common questions about Zosyn and cost

Here are some common questions and answers about Zosyn.

What is the cost of Zosyn compared to the cost of vancomycin?

In general, Zosyn is more expensive than vancomycin. But this depends on the insurance plan you have, the dosage you’re prescribed, and where you receive the drug.

Zosyn is a brand-name drug. Vancomycin is a generic drug. Generic drugs usually cost less than brand-name drugs. But even the generic version of Zosyn tends to be more expensive than vancomycin. Again, this may not be your case depending on your insurance and dosage.

Keep in mind, both Zosyn and vancomycin are types of antibiotics. But they’re classified under different groups of drugs. They work differently and treat different types of infections. Your doctor will prescribe the antibiotic that’s best suited to treat your infection.

Talk with your doctor or insurance provider to learn how much your treatment with Zosyn will cost.

Do the different strengths of Zosyn have different costs?

Possibly. The cost of the different strengths of Zosyn can vary with higher strengths being slightly more expensive. But this depends on the insurance plan you have and where you receive your doses.

Your doctor will prescribe a specific Zosyn dosage for you based on your infection and other conditions. So a particular strength of Zosyn may be more appropriate to treat your infection.

Talk with your doctor or insurance provider to learn what your dosage of Zosyn will cost.

Resources

• Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Orange Book: Approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence evaluations. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm
• Zosyn (piperacillin and tazobactam) injection, for intravenous use. (2024). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2024/050750s051lbl.pdf

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.