Olumiant (baricitinib) is a prescription drug that’s used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, COVID-19, and alopecia areata. Olumiant’s cost may depend on factors such as your dosage, whether you have health insurance, and the pharmacy you use.

Olumiant is used in adults to treat:

Olumiant comes as an oral tablet. The active drug in Olumiant is baricitinib. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.)

For more details on Olumiant, see this in-depth article.

The price you pay for Olumiant can vary. Your cost may depend on your treatment plan, your insurance coverage (if you have it), and the pharmacy you use.

To find out how much you’ll pay for Olumiant, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Note: If you have insurance, you may need to get prior authorization before your insurance provider will cover Olumiant. This means your insurer and your doctor will discuss Olumiant in regard to your treatment. Then the insurance company will determine whether the drug is covered. If Olumiant requires prior authorization and you don’t receive it before you start treatment, you could pay the full cost of the drug.

Be sure to ask your insurance company whether Olumiant requires prior authorization.

Olumiant only comes as a brand-name drug. It’s not currently available in a generic version. A generic contains an exact copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication but tends to cost less.

Why is there such a cost difference between brand-name drugs and generics?

Years of research and testing are needed to ensure that brand-name drugs are safe and effective. This testing can make the drugs expensive. The manufacturer of a brand-name drug can sell the drug for up to 20 years. After that, other drugmakers can create generic versions. This competition in the market can lead to lower costs for generics. And because generics have the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs, they don’t need to be studied again. This can also lead to lower generic costs.

If you take Olumiant long term, you may be able to lower your costs in the following ways:

Look into getting a 90-day supply of your medication. You may be able to get a 90-day supply of Olumiant if approved by your insurance company. This could reduce your number of trips to the pharmacy and help lower the cost of Olumiant. If you’re interested in getting a 90-day supply of this drug, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Use a mail-order pharmacy to get your medication. Using a mail-order pharmacy might help lower your cost for Olumiant. Plus, you could get your medication without leaving home. Some Medicare plans may help cover the cost of mail-order drugs. You may also be able to get a 90-day supply of the drug through mail order. If you don’t have health insurance, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to suggest online pharmacy options that could work for you.

If you need help covering the cost of Olumiant or understanding your insurance, check out these resources:

On these sites, you can find insurance information, details on drug assistance programs, and links to savings cards and other services.

If you have questions about how to pay for your prescription, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

If you still have questions about the cost of Olumiant, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to give you a better idea of what you’ll pay for this drug. But if you have health insurance, you’ll need to talk with your insurance provider to learn the actual cost you’d pay for Olumiant.

Examples of questions you may want to ask your doctor or insurance provider include:

  • Does the cost of Olumiant vary depending on the condition it’s being used to treat?
  • Are there other lower-cost options to treat my condition if I can’t afford Olumiant?
  • Does Medicaid cover Olumiant?

To learn more about Olumiant, see these articles:

To get information on different conditions and tips for improving your health, subscribe to any of Healthline’s newsletters. You may also want to check out the online communities at Bezzy. It’s a place where people with certain conditions can find support and connect with others.

Disclaimer: Healthline 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.