Assistance available to pay for oral colchicine

Patients taking oral colchicine may be eligible for payment assistance from the manufacturer.

Only one manufacturer of oral colchicine, Mutual, has had its version of the drug approved by the FDA. Other versions, which were "grandfathered in" and whose manufacturers have chosen not to undergo FDA evaluation, will soon be removed from the U.S. market through the FDA's Unapproved Drugs Initiative, which targets drugs that have not been through the FDA drug approval process. Because of changes to the FDA screening standards over time, grandfathered drugs currently on the market have not undergone the complete FDA evaluation for safety and effectiveness.

In response to the resulting price increase for its drug, Mutual has established the Colcrys Patient Assistance Program, which is tiered to help patients in a variety of socioeconomic situations. Information about the program can be found on the Colcrys website.