Femara

Introduction

Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Scheffel, PharmD
Written by Malini Ghoshal, RPh, MS
Updated on May 10, 2023

Letrozole oral tablet is a generic medication that’s prescribed to treat breast cancer. The brand-name version of this drug is Femara. The cost of letrozole with or without insurance can depend on several factors. It might be lowered by using a coupon.

Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved letrozole to treat certain forms of breast cancer. It’s used in adult females* who’ve undergone menopause for certain types of:

• advanced breast cancer
• early breast cancer
• metastatic breast cancer

* Sex and gender exist on spectrums. In this article, we use the term “female” to refer to a person’s sex assigned at birth.

Read on to learn about letrozole and cost. You’ll also find available coupons and suggestions for ways to save on your prescription. If you’d like more information about letrozole, including its uses, refer to this overview article.

Cost of letrozole

Like other medications, the cost of letrozole can vary. Certain factors may affect its price, such as:

• your insurance plan, if you have coverage
• the pharmacy you use

To find out how much letrozole costs, ask your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider. They may be able to suggest ways to save money on your prescription, including those described in this article. To find out what you’d pay using savings coupons, read the following section.

Coupons for letrozole

Prescription drug coupons can help you save money by lowering the cost of letrozole. The Optum Perks coupons above can provide significant savings on your prescription costs.

Note: Optum Perks coupons cannot be used with any insurance copays or benefits.

Available app for coupons

To make finding and using these coupons easier, you can download the Optum Perks app. To learn more about this prescription discount app, see this article.

Common questions about letrozole and cost

Here are some common questions about letrozole and their answers. 

Can letrozole be used to help with fertility? If so, does it cost less than when it’s used for breast cancer?

Letrozole is not FDA-approved to help with fertility. However, letrozole may be prescribed off-label for fertility challenges in females.* Off-label use means a drug is prescribed to treat a condition other than its approved uses.

The cost of a medication can depend on various factors, including the condition it’s being used to treat and the dosage your doctor prescribes. If you’d like to learn more about letrozole’s uses and its price, talk with your doctor. They can provide more information.

Why are costs different for brand-name drugs vs. generic drugs?

Brand-name drugs can be expensive because of the studies needed to test how safe and effective they are.

Manufacturers of a brand-name drug can sell their drug for up to 20 years. When the patent for a brand-name drug expires, other drug manufacturers can make and sell generic versions. A generic medication is an identical copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication. (An active drug is the ingredient that makes a medication work.)

This competition may help keep costs of generic medications lower. Also, generic medications contain the same active drugs as brand-name medications. So they don’t require the same testing, which can be costly.

If you’d like to know more about the cost differences between brand-name and generic drugs, talk with your doctor.

Insurance and other considerations for letrozole

Here’s a list of things to consider about the cost of prescription drugs:

• Prior authorization. If you have prescription drug insurance, your insurance company may require prior authorization before it covers the cost of letrozole. In this case, your doctor will communicate with your insurance company regarding your prescription for letrozole. The insurance company will decide whether to cover the medication. If a drug requires prior authorization and you begin taking/using it without this, you may have to pay the full price of the drug.
• A 3-month supply. If you’re taking letrozole long term, your doctor may suggest a 90-day supply of the medication. This will have to be approved by your insurance company. Getting a 90-day supply could help lower the drug’s cost. It could also save you time having to make trips to your pharmacy.

If you have questions about any of these considerations, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Or contact your insurance company and talk with a representative.

If you don’t have a health insurance plan, let your doctor or pharmacist know. They may suggest online pharmacy options you could use. You can also ask them about ways to obtain health insurance coverage.

Generics vs. brand names

Letrozole is a generic medication. It’s available as the brand-name drug Femara.

A generic medication is an identical copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication. (An active drug is the ingredient that makes a medication work.) Generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs. And they’re thought to be as safe and effective as the brand-name version.

If your doctor has prescribed letrozole but you’re interested in taking Femara, let them know. They may prefer one medication over the other. Also, check whether your insurance plan covers only one version of the drug.

To learn how the cost of letrozole compares with its brand-name version, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. You could also contact your insurance company. 

What to ask about letrozole

This article provides cost information related to letrozole. It also offers suggestions for ways to save money on your prescription. Above on this page, you’ll find coupons for letrozole.

If you have more questions about paying for this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist. You can also contact your insurance company.

Here’s a list of questions you may want to ask regarding the cost of your medication:

• If I get a 90-day supply of letrozole, will it cost more or less than a 30-day supply?
• Is letrozole’s cost based on the dosage I’m prescribed?
• Are there more affordable options than letrozole to treat my condition?

Resources

• Letrozole- letrozole tablet, film coated. (2022). nctr-crs.fda.gov/fdalabel/services/spl/set-ids/fa2d40a5-3504-44ef-8f5c-aa4c06308074/spl-doc
• Femara (letrozole) tablets, for oral use. (2018). fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2018/020726s035lbl.pdf
• Food and Drug Administration. (2023). Orange Book: Approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence evaluations. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm

Disclaimer: Optum Perks has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.