This may be why Vaniqa is so damn expensive

November 17, 2012
By

I must admit that this little tube worked for me! When used as instructed, it really does slow down my hair growth. I remember using this cream religiously for several days straight with barely any hair growth.

After a couple of weeks, when the hair did start growing back some, it was little at a time and it was much finer. If the hair grew ingrown, they were much easier to extract too.

I was so happy to have this cream!

I read over the studies posted on the US FDA website about Vaniqa and roughly 58% of the participants using Vaniqa reported improvement. The other 42% did not have much improvement. The info is in PDF format so you will need to download it to read the document.

Remember that your hormonal makeup and general health play a huge role in how your skin will react to Vaniqa. Pregnancy, smoking, and skin conditions like acne may contribute to the success or failure of you Vaniqa regimen. My personal opinion is that Vaniqa is most optimal with women with idiopathic hirsutism.

My only beef with the medication is this: IT COST TOO DAMN MUCH!

I have yet to be on an insurance that will even cover it’s cost! Paying out of pocket means me paying nearly $100 for a tiny tube that fits in my tiny hand!

But I think I know why Vaniqa is so expensive:

  1. Most medications that are considered for elective or cosmetic use are typically pricy. Think of it like getting a boob job. Do you really NEED it or is it a “vanity need?” Insurance companies have no desire to pay for your lack of self-esteem or need to feel and look better about yourself. It is perfectly fine to want to look better, but no one else should have to pay for it!
  2. While there is no solid research for this, in the data provided in the pdf link above, some women became pregnant during clinical studies and a small fraction of those pregnancies were not successful and one child was born with defects. Again, researchers were unable to find  clear link between the fetus and pregnancy development and/or if the ingredients in Vaniqa disrupt the nutrient quality in breast milk. Thus, creating a price for unknown variables. Happens all the time in medicine. If there is an inkling of risk, especially with fetal development, in any medicine, be prepared to pay a little extra!
  3. There is a high concentration of eflornithine hydrochloride. Though the only major side effect reported from Vaniqa on the skin is acne, it is still a high concentration for a cream that work for only a little more than half of the consumers who may use it.
  4. As I stated, a very rare side effect of this medication is acne. Using a medication that may cause more skin issues may come with a higher price tag.
  5. Ranaxby Laboratories Limited is the company that makes, Eflora, which is India’s version of Vaniqa. I must admit, it felt good to pay for the same cream for WAY less money and achieve the same results. I was able to purchase my Elfora from an online pharmacy. The cream worked great but I have to say, I was not fond of the condition my package came in. The bottles themselves were not tampered with but the envelope was busted, the writing on the package looked questionable, like it was written by a kid. So this may be another reason why Vaniqa is expensive: it has some much cheaper, easier accessible competition. And to get an official tube of Eflora, which is available in Europe, Canada, and parts of Asia (let me stress the word OFFICIAL) you may need a prescription as well.

You can also try Kalo Lotion which is an inhibitor for hair growth as well. A prescription is not required. This is strictly a commercial product. I used this lotion as well and it worked a little bit on some areas but not others. It does not have the same ingredients as the Vaniqa and Eflora have, so if your hirsutism is pretty severe, unfortunately, I do not see this working well for you.

So that may be why Vaniqa cost so much and why it is so hard to obtain. You most cannot blame these pharmacy companies for charging so much for these medications. With competition and risk involved, they have to protect themselves, regardless how in-demand a medication is!

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  • Lara

    Thank you once more for the hints. Do you know if Eflora is really safe? Is it FDA approved or by any other official entity?

    • http://yourgirlmo.wordpress.com Mo

      It is made by ranabaxy, a Indian pharmaceutical company. I have use eflora with no problems. The only issue Is if you order eflora you don’t know where it’s coming from since you can buy it on Amazon! There’s a more proper process with buying vaniqa. It was intended for both to require a prescription though!

  • Lara

    Right, then one has no way of knowing whether or not it is counterfit…