Frequently Asked Questions
To help you start your medication with Glatopa, we have answered some of your most frequently asked questions.
Q. Can Glatopa be as effective and reliable as COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) if it’s a generic?
A. Glatopa is therapeutically equivalent to COPAXONE®. This means it contains the same active ingredient and is expected to work the same way as COPAXONE®, and you won't have any change with your treatment routine.1
Q. Are Glatopa and COPAXONE® given the same way?
A. Yes, Glatopa is given the same way as COPAXONE®. Glatopa 20 mg/mL (once daily) and Glatopa 40 mg/mL (3 times a week) are both administered subcutaneously (an injection under the skin) using the Glatopaject® injection device.2,3
Q. Will the support and services I receive be similar to what I was receiving with COPAXONE®?
A. GlatopaCare provides the support services similar to what you are accustomed to, including 24/7 nurse support. You can receive 1-on-1 injection training with a GlatopaCare Nurse Trainer and your own dedicated GlatopaCare Specialist who can answer your non-medical questions related to Glatopa. Simply call 1.855.GLATOPA to contact your specialist with questions or to set up a training session with a Nurse Trainer.
Q. Will I be able to get help paying for Glatopa?
A. While generic drugs like Glatopa often cost less than the brand-name versions, we understand that many people may still need help paying for their medication. GlatopaCare offers several different services to help you pay for Glatopa. Eligible* patients may have $0 Co-Pay per month for their 20 mg/mL or 40 mg/mL prescriptions. Additionally, our GlatopaCare Specialists are available anytime at 1.855.GLATOPA to walk you through your insurance and other financial options.
Q. Will I be provided with an injection device? Is it similar to the one I have been using to inject COPAXONE®?
A. Yes, the Glatopaject injection device is included in the Glatopa Starter Kit, which you will receive when you enroll in GlatopaCare. Glatopaject is designed to work like the other injection devices on the market, so using Glatopaject should feel familiar. Please see the Glatopaject Instructions for Use.
Q. Where is Glatopa made?
A. Glatopa is produced in the USA.4
If you have any other questions, call your GlatopaCare Specialist at 1.855.GLATOPA (1.855.452.8672)
Glatopa Co-Pay Program Eligibility
The Glatopa Co-Pay Program provides up to $9,000 in annual Co-Pay support for Glatopa prescriptions. This program is not health insurance. This program is for insured patients only; uninsured cash-paying patients are not eligible. Patients are not eligible if prescriptions are paid, in whole or in part, by any state or federally funded programs, including but not limited to Medicare (including Part D, even in the coverage gap) or Medicaid, Medigap, VA, DOD, or TriCare, or private indemnity, or HMO insurance plans that reimburse you for the entire cost of your prescription drugs, or where prohibited by law. Card may not be combined with any other rebate, coupon, or offer. Card has no cash value. Sandoz reserves the right to rescind, revoke, or amend this offer without further notice.
Indication
Glatopa® (glatiramer acetate injection) is a prescription medicine used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), to include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease, in adults.
Important Safety Information
Do not take Glatopa® if you are allergic to glatiramer acetate, mannitol, or any of the ingredients in Glatopa.
Some patients report a short-term reaction right after or within minutes after injecting glatiramer acetate. This reaction can involve flushing (feeling of warmth and/or redness), chest tightness or pain, fast heartbeat, anxiety, and trouble breathing. These symptoms generally appear within seconds to minutes of an injection, last about 15 minutes, and do not require specific treatment. During the postmarketing period, there have been reports of patients with similar symptoms who received emergency medical care. If symptoms become severe, call the emergency phone number in your area. Call your doctor right away if you develop hives, skin rash with irritation, dizziness, sweating, chest pain, trouble breathing, or severe pain at the injection site. If any of the above occurs, do not give yourself any more injections until your doctor tells you to begin again.
Chest pain may occur either as part of the immediate post-injection reaction or on its own. This pain should only last a few minutes. You may experience more than one such episode, usually beginning at least one month after starting treatment. Tell your doctor if you experience chest pain that lasts for a long time or feels very intense.
A permanent indentation under the skin (lipoatrophy) or, rarely, necrosis at the injection site may occur, due to local destruction of fat tissue. Be sure to follow proper injection technique and inform your doctor of any skin changes.
Liver problems, including liver failure, can occur with Glatopa. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have symptoms, such as: nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, dark colored urine and pale stools, yellowing of your skin or the white part of your eye, bleeding more easily than normal, confusion, sleepiness.
The most common side effects in studies of glatiramer acetate injection are redness, pain, swelling, itching, or a lump at the site of injection, flushing, rash, shortness of breath, and chest pain. These are not all of the possible side effects of glatiramer acetate. For a complete list, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Tell your doctor about any side effects you have while taking Glatopa.
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Sandoz Inc. at 1-800-525-8747 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Please see full Prescribing Information for Glatopa.
References:
1. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Approved Drug Products With Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations: 41st Edition. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2021. 2. Glatopa Prescribing Information. Sandoz Inc. April 2022. 3. Copaxone Prescribing Information. Teva Pharmaceuticals. July 2020. 4. Bell C, Anderson J, Ganguly T, et al. J Pharm Pract. 2018;31(5):481-488.
