| Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous
Praluent vs Welchol
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous.Deep comparison between: Praluent vs Welchol with Prescriber.AI
AI compares prescribing info and payer-specific access barriers across 1,200+ formularies. Here's a preview of what prescribers are already asking.Safety signalsWelchol has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Praluent based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Welchol but not Praluent, including UnitedHealthcare
Sign up to reveal the full AI analysis
Category
Praluent
Welchol
At A Glance
SC injection
Every 2-4 weeks
PCSK9 inhibitor
Oral
Daily
Bile acid sequestrant
Indications
- Myocardial Infarction
- Coronary heart disease
- Cerebrovascular accident
- Angina, Unstable
- Hypercholesterolemia
- Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous
- Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia
- Familial hyperlipidemia
- Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous
- Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent
Dosing
Hypercholesterolemia, Myocardial Infarction, Coronary heart disease, Cerebrovascular accident, Angina, Unstable 75 mg SC once every 2 weeks or 300 mg SC once every 4 weeks; may adjust to 150 mg SC every 2 weeks if LDL-C response is inadequate.
Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous (adults on LDL apheresis), Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia 150 mg SC once every 2 weeks; may be administered without regard to timing of LDL apheresis.
Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous (pediatric, <50 kg) 150 mg SC once every 4 weeks; may adjust to 75 mg SC once every 2 weeks if LDL-C response is inadequate.
Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous (pediatric, >=50 kg) 300 mg SC once every 4 weeks; may adjust to 150 mg SC once every 2 weeks if LDL-C response is inadequate.
Familial hyperlipidemia, Familial hypercholesterolemia - heterozygous 3.75 grams daily; 6 tablets once daily or 3 tablets twice daily with a meal and liquid, or one packet oral suspension once daily with a meal.
Diabetes Mellitus, Non-Insulin-Dependent 3.75 grams daily; 6 tablets once daily or 3 tablets twice daily with a meal and liquid, or one packet oral suspension once daily with a meal.
Contraindications
- Previous serious hypersensitivity reaction to alirocumab or any excipient in PRALUENT
- Serum TG concentrations >500 mg/dL
- History of hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis
- History of bowel obstruction
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>=2%) Injection site reactions, influenza, diarrhea, myalgia, muscle spasms, contusion
Serious Hypersensitivity vasculitis, nummular eczema, angioedema
Postmarketing Angioedema, influenza-like illness
Most common (>=2%) Constipation, dyspepsia, nausea, asthenia, pharyngitis, myalgia (primary hyperlipidemia); constipation, dyspepsia, nausea, hypertension, back pain (type 2 diabetes)
Serious Hypertriglyceridemia, pancreatitis, gastrointestinal obstruction, vitamin K and fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies
Postmarketing Bowel obstruction, dysphagia, esophageal obstruction, fecal impaction, pancreatitis, hypertriglyceridemia, increased transaminases
Pharmacology
Alirocumab is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits PCSK9, a protein that promotes LDL receptor degradation on hepatocytes, thereby increasing LDL receptor availability and lowering circulating LDL-C levels.
Colesevelam hydrochloride is a non-absorbed bile acid sequestrant that binds bile acids in the intestine, depletes the bile acid pool, upregulates hepatic cholesterol 7-alpha-hydroxylase, increases LDL receptor expression, and thereby lowers serum LDL-C; the mechanism by which it improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetes is unknown.
Enter your patient's insuranceCheck specific coverage details for your patient.
Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Praluent
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (9/12) · Step Therapy (9/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
Welchol
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (0/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Praluent
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (1/8) · Step Therapy (1/8) · Qty limit (1/8)
Welchol
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Humana
Praluent
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (2/3)
Welchol
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (1/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (2/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
$50/momo
MyPraluent Copay CardCommercial or private insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, VA, TRICARE
No savings programs available for Welchol.
Compare Other Drugs
Let us handle your prior authsJust enter your patient's info and we'll:
- Verify eligibility with the payer.
- Pull the right PA forms directly from the payer.
- Submit, track & send live updates to your dashboard.
Free to start · HIPAA compliant
Next Steps for Your Patient
PraluentView full Praluent profile
WelcholView full Welchol profile
Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.