The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Joins Forces with the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company to Improve Medication Access for IBD Patients

[NEW YORK, October 4, 2023] – The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization focused on research and patient support for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is joining forces with the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company (Cost Plus Drugs) to increase awareness of opportunities for accessing some reduced-price essential IBD medications.  

Cost Plus Drugs currently offers several medications that treat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis at a significantly lower cost than other pharmacies. For example, Cost Plus Drugs offers Yusimry™ (adalimumab-aqvh), a biosimilar of HUMIRA®, at $584, compared with a list price of $995 at other pharmacies. This is currently the lowest cost available in the U.S. for an IBD-specific biosimilar medication. Other IBD medications sold by Cost Plus Drugs include methotrexate ($8 vs. $86.40 for a 30-day supply), budesonide DR ($18.20 vs. $384.90), mercaptopurine ($18.20 vs. $135.60 for a 30-day supply), and various forms of mesalamine ($28.70 vs. $766.80 for a 30-day supply).

As a public-benefit corporation — a corporation created to generate social and public good, operating in a responsible and sustainable manner — Cost Plus Drugs’ mission is to radically reduce the cost of prescription drugs for patients. Cost Plus Drugs fills and delivers prescriptions at cost with a fixed 15% margin. To get prescriptions from Cost Plus Drugs, patients need to locate their medication on costplusdrugs.com and then create an online account. Once registered, their doctors can submit the prescriptions to Cost Plus Drugs. Patients can order the prescription online, with each order delivered directly to the patient’s home.

“Ensuring medication access is at the heart of our mission and strategic plan,” said Michael Osso, President & CEO, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. “Every IBD patient deserves access to the best treatment and care without concerns that they can’t afford it. The access to medications enabled by the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company marks a significant step toward our goal. With their commitment to dramatically reducing drug prices, such as offering the lowest cost for biosimilar medications like Yusimry™, we believe it’s creating more options for IBD patients to access these important treatments.”

“Our relationship with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation allows us to communicate our low-priced medication options directly to IBD patients, making them aware of one more way of accessing essential treatments,” said Alexander Oshmyansky, CEO of Cost Plus Drugs. “Together with the Foundation, we aim to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.”

Contact:
Rachel Peifer
[email protected]

About the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization focused on both research and patient support for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the mission of curing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improving the quality of life for the millions of Americans living with IBD. The Foundation’s work is dramatically accelerating the research process, while also providing extensive educational and support resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public. For more information, visit crohnscolitisfoundation.org, call 888-694-8872, or email [email protected].

About the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company
The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, PBC (Cost Plus Drugs) aims to fundamentally change the way the pharmaceutical industry operates. As a public-benefit corporation, its social mission of improving public health is just as important as the bottom line. Cost Plus Drugs transparently charges a standard markup on every drug it sells. The costplusdrugs.com online pharmacy launched in January 2022 now carries over 1,000 prescription products, delivered by mail to thousands of happy customers every day. Cost Plus Drugs is working with health plans, managed-care organizations, pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) and self-insured employers to bring these same savings to employer-sponsored benefit plans nationwide.