How to access Makena

Makena is not available at retail pharmacies. The prescription process for Makena is managed through the Makena Care Connection^® support program. To start Makena therapy, simply take these 3 steps:

Step 1: Submit a Makena Referral/Prescription Form to the Makena Care Connection

Talk to your healthcare provider to decide whether Makena is right for you. If you decide together that it is, you and your healthcare provider will complete and submit
a Makena Referral/Prescription Form to the Makena Care Connection. This form serves as both your prescription and also your Makena Care Connection registration.

Step 2: Understand how you will access Makena

Once your healthcare provider has submitted the Referral/Prescription Form and you are registered with the Makena Care Connection, a Makena Care Connection Reimbursement Specialist will work with you and your insurance company to determine your insurance coverage and out-of-pocket cost. If you need financial assistance—regardless of whether you are insured or uninsured—your Reimbursement Specialist will help you identify available financial assistance.

Step 3: Start therapy on time

Makena should be started between 16 weeks, 0 days and 20 weeks, 6 days of your pregnancy and continued until 37 weeks (through 36 weeks, 6 days) or delivery, whichever occurs first.

Frequently asked questions

Am I a candidate for Makena treatment?¹ Click here to see the answer

How can I find out how much I will pay for Makena? Click here to see the answer

Do you have financial assistance programs available for Makena? Click here to see the answer

Learn more about affordable access to Makena.

Makena^® is a prescription hormone medicine (progestin) used to lower the risk of preterm birth in women who are pregnant with one baby and who have delivered one baby too early (preterm) in the past. Makena was shown to work based on a lower number of women who delivered babies at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy. There are no studies showing Makena reduces the number of babies who have serious problems shortly after birth or who die. It is not known whether Makena is safe and effective in women who have other risk factors for preterm birth.

Important safety information for Makena (hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection)

Makena should not be used in women with any of the following conditions: blood clots or other blood clotting problems, breast cancer or other hormone-sensitive cancers, or history of these conditions; unusual vaginal bleeding not related to your current pregnancy, yellowing of the skin due to liver problems during pregnancy, liver problems, including liver tumors, or uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Before you receive Makena, tell your healthcare provider if you have an allergy to hydroxyprogesterone caproate, castor oil, or any of the other ingredients in Makena; diabetes or prediabetes, epilepsy, migraine headaches, asthma, heart problems, kidney problems, depression, or high blood pressure.

In a clinical study, certain complications or events associated with pregnancy occurred more often in women who received Makena. These included miscarriage (pregnancy loss before 20 weeks of pregnancy), stillbirth (fetal death occurring during or after the 20th week of pregnancy), hospital admission for preterm labor, preeclampsia (high blood pressure and too much protein in your urine), gestational hypertension (high blood pressure caused by pregnancy), gestational diabetes, and oligohydramnios (low amniotic fluid levels).

Makena may cause serious side effects including blood clots, allergic reactions, depression, and yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes. Call your healthcare provider right away if you think you have symptoms of a blood clot (leg swelling, redness in your leg, a spot on your leg that is warm to touch, or leg pain that worsens when you bend your foot) or symptoms of an allergic reaction (hives, itching, or swelling of the face). The most common side effects of Makena include injection site reactions (pain, swelling, itching, bruising, or a hard bump), hives, itching, nausea, and diarrhea.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see full prescribing information for Makena.

Reference: 1. Makena^® (hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection) prescribing information, Ther-Rx Corporation, 2011.

*	Each patient’s eligibility is evaluated on an individual basis. Program eligibility criteria are subject to change. Financial assistance programs are administered by the Makena Cares Foundation, which is managed by the Chronic Disease Fund.
†	This encompasses 85% of US household incomes. Source: 2009 US Census Data.