FAQs | IncyteCARES for ZYNYZ® Skip to main content

IncyteCARES is a program for residents 
of the United States and Puerto Rico.

About IncyteCARES

IncyteCARES is a support program for patients who are prescribed ZYNYZ® (retifanlimab-dlwr) and other Incyte medications. Our team can help you understand your insurance coverage and medication costs and find savings and financial assistance options to fit your needs. You can speak one-on-one to an IncyteCARES representative who can answer questions about ZYNYZ, provide education about your condition, connect you with other organizations that provide counseling and help cover transportation costs, and more. Contact IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET with questions or to enroll.

Call us at 1-855-452-5234.

Our IncyteCARES team is available Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET.

IncyteCARES is intended to help eligible patients who have been prescribed ZYNYZ and who have trouble affording their out-of-pocket costs or who have other questions about their treatment or their prescription coverage. Contact IncyteCARES to speak one-on-one to a representative to determine if you're eligible to enroll. Our team can be reached at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET.

IncyteCARES can help eligible patients understand their insurance coverage and costs for ZYNYZ and explore savings and financial assistance options to help reduce out-of-pocket costs. We provide as-needed support for patients to help with questions about their condition and treatment. We can also help connect eligible patients with resources to help manage their condition day to day, including counseling services, treatment education, transportation services, and more. Call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET to speak one-on-one with a program representative.

There are 3 ways for a patient prescribed ZYNYZ to enroll in IncyteCARES.

  1. You can ask your Healthcare Professional to enroll you.
  2. You can call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET and speak to a representative to start the enrollment process.
  3. You can download an enrollment form, fill out your personal information yourself, and then take it to your Healthcare Professional to submit.

Visit How to Enroll

No, anyone can call IncyteCARES for general information.

Yes, any patient who has been prescribed ZYNYZ can enroll in IncyteCARES but may not be eligible to receive some of the services or support we offer. Contact IncyteCARES for more details and to determine if you're eligible. Our team can be reached at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET.

You must be a resident of the United States or Puerto Rico to be enrolled in the IncyteCARES Savings Program or Patient Assistance Program.

Uninsured patients may qualify for the IncyteCARES Patient Assistance Program if they are enrolled in IncyteCARES and meet certain criteria. Please call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET and speak with a representative to find out if you are eligible.

Yes, a caregiver may contact IncyteCARES on behalf of a patient who is prescribed ZYNYZ to begin the enrollment process.

We can connect patients to nonprofit organizations that provide social and emotional support as well as information about other counseling services and support groups in their area. Please call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET and speak one-on-one with a representative to talk about the kinds of support that are available.

Enrollment in the IncyteCARES program lasts for one year. You can re-enroll each year (we'll remind you when it's time!) and can continue to be a part of the program for as long as you're prescribed ZYNYZ.

Filling Your Prescription

Yes, an IncyteCARES team member can coordinate with your infusion center to ensure that your ZYNYZ is delivered and ready when you need it.

Call IncyteCARES about any insurance changes, and we can help you understand your new coverage. We can also determine if you are now, or are still, eligible for our IncyteCARES Savings Program or eligible for other forms of support.

Financial Assistance Options

IncyteCARES offers savings and financial assistance options to help patients prescribed ZYNYZ with their out-of-pocket costs. With the IncyteCARES Savings Program, eligible patients with commercial prescription coverage can receive ZYNYZ for as little as $15, subject to certain limits.* For patients who are uninsured or underinsured, they may be eligible to receive ZYNYZ free of charge through the Patient Assistance Program.* Call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET to find out more.

*Terms and conditions apply. Terms of this program may change at any time. Read complete terms and conditions for the IncyteCARES Savings Program here.

With the IncyteCARES Savings Program, eligible patients with commercial prescription coverage can receive ZYNYZ for as little as $15, subject to certain limits.* Your actual savings may differ depending upon your insurance coverage. Call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET to find out more.

*Terms and conditions apply. Terms of this program may change at any time. Read complete terms and conditions for the IncyteCARES Savings Program here.

To qualify for the Savings Program, patients must meet the following criteria:

  • Have commercial prescription drug coverage. Patients insured under federal or state government prescription drug programs—including Medicare Part B or D, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, or TRICARE—are not eligible. Patients without prescription drug coverage are also not eligible
  • Be a resident of the United States or Puerto Rico
  • Have a valid prescription for ZYNYZ for an FDA-approved use

Read complete terms and conditions for the IncyteCARES Savings Program here.

For more information, call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234.

You can ask your prescribing Healthcare Professional, or contact IncyteCARES to enroll you in the program.

Read complete terms and conditions here.

For more information, call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234.

Once your information is submitted for the IncyteCARES Savings Program, eligibility is determined right away. If you are eligible, a program member number is typically issued immediately.

No. Your enrollment in the Savings Program will automatically renew each year. You do not need to re-enroll. You should, however, contact IncyteCARES if your prescription insurance plan changes, so we can update your information.

Eligible patients who do not have health insurance or have trouble affording their out-of-pocket costs for ZYNYZ may be able to receive their medication free of charge through the Patient Assistance Program. The program provides free medication, but does not cover the cost to give you your infusion. Call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET to speak one-on-one with an IncyteCARES representative about the criteria for eligibility.

The IncyteCARES Patient Assistance Program (PAP) helps eligible patients who do not have health insurance or have trouble affording their out-of-pocket costs. No purchase contingencies or other obligations apply.

To qualify, you must:*

  • Be confirmed as eligible for and enrolled in IncyteCARES
  • Be a resident of the United States or Puerto Rico
  • Have a valid prescription for ZYNYZ for an FDA-approved use
  • Meet one of these 3 criteria:

Uninsured

    1. Have no prescription drug coverage and meet household income criteria

Underinsured

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    2. Have Medicare Part B, Medicare Part D, or Medicare Advantage and meet household income criteria
    3. Have any other type of health insurance (commercial, Medicaid, etc) but have exhausted or been denied coverage for ZYNYZ and meet household income criteria

For more information, call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234.

*Terms and conditions apply. Terms of this program may change at any time.

Patients who are enrolled in an Alternate Funding Program (AFP) are not eligible to receive free drug.

Conditional approval for the Patient Assistance Program (PAP) is provided in 3 business days after we receive a patient's completed enrollment form. Eligible patients are fully approved for the PAP after proof of current household income is received and income eligibility criteria have been confirmed.

You must document your current household income by submitting one of the following: your most recent federal income tax return, your most recent W-2 earnings statement from your employer, or one month of recent pay stubs.

Once we receive your completed Patient Assistance Program (PAP) enrollment form, you will be given "conditional approval" for the program. Eligible patients are fully approved for the PAP after proof of current household income is received and income eligibility criteria have been confirmed.

Yes, if you are enrolled in the Patient Assistance Program (PAP), you need to reenroll in IncyteCARES and reapply for PAP every year.

Understanding Insurance Coverage

Yes, once we have your prescription and insurance information and you are enrolled in IncyteCARES, an IncyteCARES program representative will call you to go over your coverage and costs for your medication. Call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET if you have questions.

Once we receive your insurance information, we can research your coverage for ZYNYZ right away. In most cases, we’ll call you with this information within 3 business days. If there is a delay, we’ll notify you and/or your Healthcare Professional within that time frame.

Once you are enrolled in IncyteCARES, a team member will contact your insurance company to determine your coverage for ZYNYZ and whether prior authorization is required. If prior authorization is needed, we will notify your doctor and ensure that the required information is sent to your insurance company.

A team member will contact you after you are enrolled in IncyteCARES. They will review your insurance coverage for ZYNYZ with you and will also explain any savings or financial assistance programs for which you may be eligible. You can also call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET to speak one-on-one to an IncyteCARES representative if you have questions.

Patients who have Medicare Part B or Medicaid may be eligible to receive ZYNYZ free of charge through the IncyteCARES Patient Assistance Program as long as they meet household income requirements and other criteria.* This program helps eligible patients who do not have health insurance or have trouble affording their out-of-pocket costs for their medication. Call IncyteCARES at 1-855-452-5234, Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET to find out more.

*Terms and conditions apply. Terms of this program may change at any time.

Many insurance plans require prior authorization before they will approve coverage for ZYNYZ. This means they require your Healthcare Professional to send them additional information about your condition and why ZYNYZ is being prescribed. Based on the additional details, they will determine coverage. In most cases, this extra step delays their coverage approval by just a few days.

Please contact IncyteCARES if your insurance coverage changes or is lost or if you have a life-changing event such as a job loss or other change in household income. We can determine any changes in your coverage for ZYNYZ or your out-of-pocket costs. We can also find out if your specialty pharmacy is still within network for your insurer and can communicate any changes to them. If you need to change specialty pharmacies, we can help with that as well.

If your coverage for ZYNYZ is denied, IncyteCARES can help you and your doctor file an appeal. If your appeal is unsuccessful, we can assess your eligibility for free medication through the Patient Assistance Program.

Copay adjustment programs are used by health insurance companies—mostly for specialty medications that have drug manufacturer copay savings programs. Health plans use adjustment programs to offset what they pay for a medication rather than allow the manufacturers’ savings program to be applied to the patient's out-of-pocket costs and deductibles as it was intended to be.

As drug manufacturers attempt to create programs to subsidize out-of-pocket costs for patients, the payers reduce the value of these programs by exhausting such funds while also requiring the patient to pay their deductibles and coinsurance up to their out-of-pocket maximums to obtain their medications.

Copay adjustment programs may vary in name, but traditionally they are called copay accumulators or maximizers. Patients may often have difficulty knowing if their health insurance program includes accumulators and maximizers. In some cases, patients are offered reduced costs if they enroll in a particular program.

The most common types of copay adjustment programs are accumulators and maximizers. These programs are designed to exclude the use of manufacturer copay savings programs from counting toward patients’ annual deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, such as copays.

  • An accumulator adjustment program is used by the plan/pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to prevent manufacturers’ copay savings from being applied to deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket cost. That means that the value of the copay savings program goes directly to the plan rather than being subtracted from the patient’s annual deductible or out-of-pocket expenses. Once the full value of the copay savings is used, the patient is still responsible for their full or remaining deductible and out-of-pocket cost
  • A maximizer adjustment program is used to adjust the patient’s copay responsibility to match the maximum value of the manufacturer’s savings program. Generally, the value is divided over the year, a shorter specified period of time determined by the plan, or the number of months a patient is on the product within a calendar year to extract the full value of the copay savings program. For plans to use maximizers, the insurance company deems the specialty drug nonessential so that they are not limited to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) maximums

First, take a look at your plan details. The explanation of benefits (EOB) report is a good place to start.

Your health insurance company can provide your EOB upon request. The document should describe how to meet your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. You can also ask your employer if your plan includes these programs.

Next, review your insurance plan’s Pharmacy Limitations and Exclusions or Schedule of Benefits statement.

Be on the lookout for terms like “manufacturer,” “copay card,” “coupon,” and “discount.” These keywords can help you find the restrictions or limitations for financial assistance you may receive from drug manufacturers.

You can contact a customer service agent from your insurance company who may help you find out if the plan you are enrolled in (or are considering) has a copay adjustment program that could change your out-of-pocket costs.

Straightforward questions to ask include:

  • Does this health plan have an accumulator or maximizer program?
  • How does it impact me?
  • What are my options for handling gaps in coverage that may occur?
  • Am I required to enroll, or may I opt out?
  • If I can opt out, can I do so at any time of the year or only during open enrollment?

Alternate funding programs (AFPs) are not medical insurance, but they can be used by health plans to deny or delay patients’ access to specialty medications. AFPs operate in agreement on behalf of the health plan to exclude certain specialty products from the patient’s prescription drug benefit. AFPs then coordinate with the patient’s enrollment into the drug manufacturer’s foundation or Patient Assistance Program (PAP). AFPs may create challenges and delays for starting or staying on therapy due to the PAP’s enrollment processes and timelines. AFPs may prevent a patient from moving through their insurance out-of-pocket requirements in the way the patient would have if the medication had been included in the insurer’s prescription drug benefit.

Need Help?

Our IncyteCARES team is available Monday through Friday, 8 AM–8 PM ET

Call us at 1-855-452-5234

 
 
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about ZYNYZ?

ZYNYZ is a medicine that may treat certain types of cancers by working with your immune system. ZYNYZ can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. You can have more than one of these problems at the same time. These problems may happen anytime during treatment or even after your treatment has ended.

Call or see your doctor right away if you develop any new or worsening signs or symptoms, including:

Lung problems: cough, shortness of breath, chest pain

Intestinal problems: diarrhea (loose stools) or more frequent bowel movements than usual; stools that are black, tarry, sticky, or have blood or mucus; severe stomach-area (abdomen) pain or tenderness

Liver problems: yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes; severe nausea or vomiting; pain on the right side of your stomach area (abdomen); dark urine (tea colored); bleeding or bruising more easily than normal

WHAT IS ZYNYZ?

ZYNYZ is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with:

  • a type of anal cancer called squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCAC).
    • ZYNYZ may be used in combination with the chemotherapy medicines carboplatin and paclitaxel as your first treatment when your anal cancer:
      • has returned and cannot be removed by surgery, or
      • has spread.
    • ZYNYZ may be used alone when your anal cancer:
      • has returned or has spread and
      • you have received chemotherapy that contains platinum, and it did not work, is no longer working, or you could not tolerate it.
  • a type of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). ZYNYZ may be used alone to treat your skin cancer when it has spread or returned.

It is not known if ZYNYZ is safe and effective in children.

Hormone gland problems: headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches; eye sensitivity to light; eye problems; rapid heartbeat; increased sweating; extreme tiredness; weight gain or weight loss; feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual; urinating more often than usual; hair loss; feeling cold; constipation; your voice gets deeper; dizziness or fainting; changes in mood or behavior, such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness

Kidney problems: decrease in your amount of urine, blood in your urine, swelling of your ankles, loss of appetite

Skin problems: rash; itching; skin blistering or peeling; painful sores or ulcers in your mouth or nose, throat, or genital area; fever or flu-like symptoms; swollen lymph nodes

Problems can also happen in other organs and tissues. These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with ZYNYZ. Call or see your doctor right away for any new or worsening signs or symptoms, which may include:

  • chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, or swelling of ankles
  • confusion, sleepiness, memory problems, changes in mood or behavior, stiff neck, balance problems, tingling or numbness of the arms or legs
  • double vision, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, eye pain, changes in eyesight
  • persistent or severe muscle pain or weakness, muscle cramps
  • low red blood cells, bruising

Infusion reactions that can sometimes be severe. Signs and symptoms of infusion reactions may include: chills or shaking, itching or rash, flushing, shortness of breath or wheezing, dizziness, feel like passing out, fever, back or neck pain.

Rejection of a transplanted organ or tissue. Your doctor should tell you what signs and symptoms you should report and monitor you, depending on the type of organ or tissue transplant that you have had.

Complications, including graft-versus-host disease, in people who have received a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic). These complications can be serious and can lead to death. These complications may happen if you underwent transplantation either before or after being treated with ZYNYZ. Your doctor will monitor you for these complications.

Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious. Your doctor will check you for these problems during your treatment with ZYNYZ. Your doctor may treat you with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines and may also need to delay or completely stop treatment with ZYNYZ if you have severe side effects.

Before you receive ZYNYZ, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have immune system problems such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupus
  • have received an organ or tissue transplant, including corneal transplant
  • have received or plan to receive a stem cell transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic)
  • have received radiation treatment to your chest area
  • have a condition that affects your nervous system, such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barré syndrome
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. ZYNYZ can harm your unborn baby.
    Females who are able to become pregnant:
    • Your doctor should do a pregnancy test before you start treatment with ZYNYZ.
    • You should use an effective method of birth control during your treatment and for 4 months after your last dose of ZYNYZ. Talk to your doctor about birth control methods that you can use during this time.
    • Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with ZYNYZ.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if ZYNYZ passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment and for 4 months after your last dose of ZYNYZ.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

The most common side effects of ZYNYZ when given with the chemotherapy medicines carboplatin and paclitaxel in people with SCAC include tiredness; numbness, pain, tingling, or burning in your hands or feet; nausea; hair loss; diarrhea; muscle and bone pain; constipation; bleeding; rash; vomiting; decreased appetite; itching; stomach-area pain.

The most common side effects of ZYNYZ when used alone in people with SCAC include tiredness, muscle and bone pain, diarrhea, infection, rectal or genital-area pain, bleeding, urinary tract infection (UTI), rash, nausea, loss of appetite, constipation, stomach-area pain, shortness of breath, fever, vomiting, cough, itching, low levels of thyroid hormone, headache, decreased weight.

The most common side effects of ZYNYZ when used alone in people with MCC include muscle and bone pain, tiredness, itching, diarrhea, rash, fever, nausea, constipation.

These are not all the possible side effects of ZYNYZ. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

General information about the safe and effective use of ZYNYZ

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide. If you would like more information about ZYNYZ, talk with your doctor. You can ask your doctor for information about ZYNYZ that is written for health professionals.

Please see the Full Prescribing Information, including the Medication Guide, for ZYNYZ.