This medicine cost around about $900 to order from the supplier.
Initially I did not recognise the brand Adcirca, however the generic name of Tadalafil certainly rang a bell.
As you may have guessed, Tadalafil is the generic name for Cialis: a popular medication used for erectile disfunction.
Although the active ingredient and tablet strength for both Cialis and Adcirca is the same, the indication for the tablets are completely different.
Cialis is marketed for erectile disfunctions, while Adcirca is marketed for pulmonary hypertension.
Pulmonary hypertension is a condition where there is a build up of pressure in the pulmonary circulation. A common cause for it is in left ventricular heart failure. This is because the heart is lacking the ability to pump blood efficiently causing a buildup of blood in the lungs.
The mechanism of action for tadalafil in pulmonary hypertension is to relax the smooth muscle in the pulmonary vascular bed producing vasodilation and reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance.
The dosage is twice daily which explains the large box of 56 tablets.
Another difference between Cialis and Adcirca is the price.
Cialis is considered a recreational medication that is not essential to keep a person alive. This means that Cialis is not covered by the PBS scheme and thus patients need to pay for the full price. Cialis usually comes in a box of 4 tablets or 8 tablets (10mg, 20mg strength) and could cost between $80-$160.
On the other hand, as Adcirca helps manage a patient's disease state, it is covered by the PBS scheme. This means that eligible patients to the PBS criteria only need to pay either $36.10 or $5.90 for this medication. I feel quite amazed considering that the patient gets 56 tablets (vs 8 tablets) for only a fraction of the price.
I wonder if the patients on Adcirca get the benefits of Cialis. It is the same active ingredient at the same strength. I hope side effects such as priapism would not be a side effect...
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