Orilissa

A GnRH antagonist that may suppress the symptoms of Endometriosis and it may only be taken for a limited time. Manufactured by Abbvie. Also known as Elagolix.

Endometriosis & the Diaphragm

| Bloomin' Uterus
Courtesy of Wikimedia

If you’ve been a long-time follower of the blog, you may remember in 2014 when my surgeon found Endometriosis on my diaphragm. Several years later, it had completely disappeared (yay!). And it hasn’t been found in any of my subsequent surgeries. This research has been a lot of fun because of my own personal journey.

We’ve previously shared Endo Lady UK‘s experience with her own diaphragmatic Endometriosis, as well as a surgery to remove diaphragmatic Endo. We’ve even had a few brave readers, Lyndsay and Tabitha, share their own stories about endo on their diaphragm.

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The “Band-Aid Treatment Plan” Strikes Again

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Bandaids crossing into an X

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you may have already seen the entry about c-section scars developing lumps of Endometriosis. If you haven’t already read it, you can follow the link or just know there are a lot of women that develop a painful mass in or around their c-section scar that turns out to be Endometriosis. It’s not just limited to c-section scars, but those are mostly the reported instances of scar Endo. Most of the time, that lump is removed and the symptoms fade; recurrence seems rare.

An article hit my inbox this week that had me breathing heavy. I had to take a few days to calm down before I wrote today’s entry.

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New Study: Elagolix vs. Lupron (Cost Effectiveness & Quality of Life)

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Red apple and green apple
Comparing apples to…apples? Image by Freestocks.org

This will be a highly-charged opinion piece for me…so as you read what I am writing, please know that I am seething and upset and just needed to vent.

A study of Elagolix (aka Orilissa) hit my inbox recently and I just opened it today. It was run by Abbvie, of course. And it compares Elagolix to Lupron to see which is more cost-effective in possibly giving women with Endo a greater quality of life. So, it’s win-win for Abbvie since they make both of those drugs…

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Orilissa: AbbVie’s New Drug to Manage Endometriosis Symptoms

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Screenshot of FDA Drug Label for Orilssa
Screenshot of FDA Drug Label for Orilissa, July 24, 2018

You may have seen news articles and press releases flying around the Internet since yesterday regarding a new drug released to manage Endometriosis pain.  I wanted to share this with you because, although I’ve no intention of taking the drug myself, I know that it may help women who suffer. And it may help better educate you on your decision.

I’ve been following it for a while and you can read my thoughts about AbbVie’s SpeakEndo commercials and website, as well as their expedited application for FDA approval, and the track records of other drugs that have done the same.  And according to Business Insider, Orilissa may cost approximately $850 per month, or roughly $10,000 per year for prescriptions (I’m assuming those figures are calculated without health insurance).  Orilissa is estimated to hit markets for prescriptions in August of this year.

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Have you Seen the Endometriosis Commercials on TV?

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Speakendo.com webpage banner
Screenshot of SpeakEndo.com; 1/30/18
Updated note (July 25, 2018): Orilissa (Elagolix) was approved by the FDA on July 23, 2018. 

I don’t have TV, but I’ve had a lot of friends and loved ones excitedly tell me that they saw a commercial about Endometriosis recently! I think that’s awesome! A wonderful way to spread awareness to so many people!

Like one friend said, it took me 20 years for a diagnosis – maybe it wouldn’t have taken so long if I had seen a commercial similar to this one. If it can help just one woman begin to search for answers, it’s awesome.

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