Help Paying for SUTENT
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First Resource® is here to help

First Resource offers the below services that can help you access Pfizer medicines.

Reimbursement support services

A counselor will review your insurance coverage. The counselor can explain your coverage options and policies, as well as investigate the prior authorization process.


Alternate funding assistance

If you are eligible, First Resource can help you find other sources of funding. These may include state pharmaceutical assistance programs (SPAPs), Medicaid, Medicare Part D, low-income subsidies, and charitable foundations.


Appeals process information

First Resource can investigate and explain the appeals process if your insurance company underpays a claim or denies coverage.


SUTENT at no charge

Some people qualify to get SUTENT for free. A First Resource counselor will help determine your eligibility. You must:

  • Have no prescription coverage
  • Meet specific income guidelines, adjusted for family size
  • Reside in the United States, US Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico
  • Be treated by a licensed physician in the United States or Puerto Rico

Even if you don’t meet these requirements, you may still qualify for Hardship Assistance. A First Resource counselor can tell you more.


Co-payment card for SUTENT†

Patients eligible for hardship may automatically be mailed a co-payment card when they enroll with First Resource. If you need assistance right away, call. A First Resource counselor may be able to give you the co-payment information over the phone. To be eligible you must:

  • Have private insurance coverage that requires only a co-payment for prescription medicines
  • Be unable to afford the co-payment for your prescription medicines
  • Meet program guidelines for Hardship Assistance
  • Not reside in the state of Massachusetts or participate in any federal or state healthcare programs such as Medicaid or Medicare‡


†The SUTENT Co-payment Card is not health insurance. For a complete list of participating pharmacies, please call the First Resource program at 1-877-744-5675. There are no membership fees to participate. Estimated savings vary and depend on the amount of SUTENT purchased and the pharmacy where purchased. The average patient savings is $5000.

Enroll today

There are 3 simple ways to sign up:
Telephone: Just call 1-877-744-5675
Mail: Download and complete this form. Mail it to: Pfizer First Resource, PO Box 220582, Charlotte, NC 28222-0582
Fax: Download and complete this form. Fax it to 1-800-708-3430

Download the First Resource Brochure

Learn more about what this program offers and who is eligible.

DOWNLOAD

Medicines available through First Resource include SUTENT. For a complete list, please visit www.FirstResourceProgram.com.

Looking for more information and support? There are many places you can go to for help, both online and off. On the next page, you will find a list of organizations and resources devoted to helping people just like you.
NEXT: Cancer Resources
‡Assistance for eligible patients who reside in Massachusetts will still be available through the First Resource program. These patients will continue to receive SUTENT free of charge under Hardship Assistance. Terms and conditions apply. Speak with a First Resource counselor to learn more.

SUTENT is used to treat advanced kidney cancer (advanced renal cell carcinoma or RCC).

*SUTENT is used to treat GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor). This is a rare cancer of the stomach, bowel, or esophagus. SUTENT is used when the medicine Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate) did not stop the cancer from growing or when you cannot take Gleevec.

SUTENT is used to treat a type of pancreatic cancer known as pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pancreatic NET), that has progressed and cannot be treated with surgery.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

SUTENT can cause serious liver problems, including death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop any of the following signs and symptoms of liver problems during treatment with SUTENT:

  • Itching
  • Yellow eyes or skin
  • Dark urine
  • Pain or discomfort in the right upper stomach area

Your healthcare provider should do blood tests to check your liver function before you start taking SUTENT and during treatment.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding:

  • SUTENT may harm an unborn baby. You should not become pregnant while taking SUTENT. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking SUTENT
  • Do not breastfeed while taking SUTENT

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription medicines and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using SUTENT with certain other medicines can cause serious side effects. Talk with your healthcare provider before starting any new medicines.

SUTENT may cause serious side effects, including:

  • Serious liver problems, including death
  • Heart problems—Heart problems may include heart failure and heart muscle problems (cardiomyopathy) that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel very tired, are short of breath, or have swollen feet and ankles
  • Abnormal heart rhythm changes—Your healthcare provider may do electrocardiograms and blood tests to watch for these problems during your treatment with SUTENT. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel dizzy, faint, or have abnormal heartbeats while taking SUTENT
  • High blood pressure—Your healthcare provider may check your blood pressure during treatment with SUTENT. Your healthcare provider may prescribe medicine for you to treat high blood pressure, if needed
  • Bleeding sometimes leading to death—Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms or a serious bleeding problem during treatment with SUTENT:
    • Painful, swollen stomach (abdomen)
    • Bloody urine
    • Vomiting blood
    • Headache or change in your mental status
    • Black, sticky stools
    Your healthcare provider can tell you other symptoms to watch for.
  • Hormone problems, including thyroid and adrenal gland problems—Your healthcare provider may do tests to check your thyroid and adrenal gland function during SUTENT treatment. Tell your doctor if you have any of the following signs and symptoms during treatment with SUTENT:
    • Tiredness that worsens and does not go away
    • Heat intolerance
    • Loss of appetite
    • Feeling nervous or agitated, tremors
    • Nausea or vomiting
    • Sweating
    • Diarrhea
    • Irregular menstrual periods or no menstrual periods
    • Fast heart rate
    • Headache
    • Weight gain or weight loss
    • Hair loss
    • Feeling depressed

 

Common side effects of SUTENT include:

  • The medicine in SUTENT is yellow, and it may make your skin look yellow. Your skin and hair may get lighter in color
  • Tiredness
  • Weakness
  • Fever
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, upset stomach, abdominal pain, and constipation. Talk with your healthcare provider about ways to handle these problems
  • Rash or other skin changes, including drier, thicker, or cracking skin
  • Blisters or a rash on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet
  • Taste changes
  • Loss of appetite
  • Pain or swelling in your arms or legs
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Bleeding, such as nosebleeds or bleeding from cuts

Call your healthcare provider if you have any swelling or bleeding during treatment with SUTENT.

Gleevec is a registered trademark of Novartis AG.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see patient Medication Guide and full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning regarding serious liver problems.

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Adrenal gland
One of a pair of small glands; one sits on top of each kidney. The adrenal glands produce hormones that help control heart rate, blood pressure, the way the body uses food, and other vital functions.
Angiogenesis (an-jee-o-JEN-ih-sis)
The growth of new blood vessels from existing ones. Tumors use this process to receive nutrients from the bloodstream and to metastasize.
Cardiomyopathy (kahr-dee-oh-my-OP-uh-thee)
A disease that weakens and enlarges your heart muscle and makes it harder for your heart to pump blood and deliver it to the rest of your body.
Chemotherapy
Cancer cells grow and multiply like normal cells, but often much more quickly. Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop these cells from multiplying. However, chemotherapy can also harm healthy cells.
Digestive system
A collection of organs that break down food into simpler components, which your body uses to make energy and repair cells.
Functional pancreatic NET
A type of tumor in the pancreas that overproduces hormones.
Gastrointestinal (GASS-tro-in-TESS-tin-nul)
Relating to your stomach and intestines.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)
(GASS-tro-in-TESS-tin-nul STRO-mul TOO-mor)
GIST is a cancer that occurs in the digestive system. It can grow at all levels of the gastrointestinal tract (though most often in the stomach and small intestine).
Hand-foot syndrome (hand-foot-SIN-drome)
Dryness, thickening, or cracking of the skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It can sometimes include blisters or a rash.
Hypertension (hy-per-TEN-shun)
A disease of the arteries involving constant high blood pressure.
Intravenous therapy (IV)
Treatment given directly into a vein.
IFNα (Interferon alfa)
A medicine prescribed to prevent tumor cells or viruses from growing. A clinical study has proven that SUTENT is more effective than interferon alfa (IFNα) in the treatment of RCC.
Kidney
One of a pair of organs that removes waste products from the blood. In the process, they make urine to help carry waste out of the body. One is on the left side of the abdomen. The other is on the right side.
Lymph node
Located throughout the body, lymph nodes filter lymph fluid. They store special cells that can trap cancer cells or bacteria that are traveling through the body in the lymph.
Metastasis (muh-TAHS-tuh-sis)
The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another through the lymphatic system or bloodstream.
Nonfunctional pancreatic NET
A type of tumor in the pancreas that does not overproduce hormones.
Pancreas
A 6-inch long organ that stretches across the back of the abdomen. It makes pancreatic juices, which help digest food in the small intestine. The pancreas also makes insulin, which controls the amount of sugar in the blood.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (Pancreatic NET)
An uncommon tumor that starts in the hormone-producing cells of the pancreas.
Progression-free survival
The length of time during and after treatment in which a patient is living with a disease that does not get worse. Progression-free survival may be used in a clinical study or trial to help find out how well a new treatment works.
Proliferation (pro-liff-er-AY-shun)
When cells divide and multiply quickly. Tumors form when cancer cells proliferate.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (REE-null SELL kar-sin-O-muh)
The most common form of cancer that starts in the kidneys.
Stroma
The tissue that supports an organ.
Tumor (TOO-mor)
A mass of cancer cells.
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The SUTENT Co-payment Card is not health insurance. For a complete list of participating pharmacies, please call the First Resource program at 1-877-744-5675. There are no membership fees to participate. Estimated savings vary and depend on the amount of SUTENT purchased and the pharmacy where purchased.

Average patient savings is $5000.

Assistance for eligible patients who reside in Massachusetts will still be available through the First Resource program. These patients will continue to receive SUTENT free of charge under Hardship Assistance. Terms and conditions apply. Speak with a First Resource counselor to learn more.

Pfizer and its agents cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided by insurers, nor do they guarantee insurance reimbursement. Because many factors influence reimbursement, program staff cannot anticipate or resolve all issues raised by program callers. Pfizer reserves the right to modify or discontinue the program, without notice, at any time.