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Key takeaways
Lumigan is a brand-name eye medication that controls eye pressure to prevent or treat glaucoma.
One 2.5 mL bottle (about 70 doses) of Lumigan costs $355 at full retail price.
The active ingredient in Lumigan is 0.01% bimatoprost. It can be purchased as a lower-priced generic drug, albeit at a different concentration.
Multiple eye drops for glaucoma are available in generic versions and cost less than Lumigan. Get medical advice from an eye doctor.
Lumigan (bimatoprost) is a brand-name prescription eye drop used to reduce intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye). As a prostaglandin analog, Lumigan is commonly prescribed as a first-line treatment for ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma. At the full retail price, a 2.5 mL bottle of the ophthalmic solution can cost $355.
How much does Lumigan cost without insurance?
Without insurance, Lumigan costs $355 for a 2.5 mL bottle of 0.01% solution. A 2.5 mL bottle holds about 70 drops—about a 30-day supply if both eyes are being treated. Each day’s treatment, then, costs about $12. For some people, Lumigan is a long-term treatment. A year of treatment without insurance could cost more than $4,000.
Fortunately, patients have lower-priced alternatives. The lowest-cost alternative is another prostaglandin analog called latanoprost. Its cash price is $84 for a 2.5 mL bottle (70 drops). With a Single Care discount card, that same bottle costs only $9. A year of latanoprost could cost about $100 with SingleCare.
How much does generic Lumigan cost?
The total price for a 5 mL bottle of generic bimatoprost is $265, but it only costs $79 with a SingleCare discount coupon. However, the currently available generic bimatoprost eye drops have a higher concentration than branded Lumigan: 0.03% rather than 0.01%. Ask the eye doctor for medical advice before switching.
A generic version of Lumigan (bimatoprost 0.01% solution) will not be available in the United States until 2027 at the earliest.
Compare Lumigan prices to related drugs |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Drug name | Price without insurance | SingleCare price | Savings options |
| Lumigan | $355 per 1, 2.5 mL of 0.01% bottle | $260 per 1, 2.5 mL of 0.01% bottle of brand-name Lumigan | See latest prices |
| Bimatoprost | $265 per 1, 5 mL of 0.03% bottle of generic bimatoprost | $56 per 1, 5 mL of 0.03% bottle of generic bimatoprost | See latest prices |
| Latanoprost | $84 for 1, 2.5 mL bottle of 0.005% solution of generic latanoprost | $9 for 1, 2.5 mL bottle of 0.005% solution of generic latanoprost | See updated prices |
| Latanoprost-timolol | $122 per 1, 5 mL bottle of 0.005%-0.5% solution | $78 per 1, 5 mL bottle of 0.005%-0.5% solution of generic latanoprost-timolol | See latest prices |
| Tafluprost | $238 per 30 single-use containers | $56 per 30 single-use containers of generic tafluprost | See latest prices |
| Travatan Z (travoprost) | $312 per 1, 2.5ml of 0.004% bottle | $31 per 1, 2.5ml of 0.004% bottle generic travoprost | See latest prices |
| Brimonidine | $38 for 1, 5 mL bottle of 0.2% solution of generic brimonidine | $7 for 1, 5 mL bottle of 0.2% solution of generic brimonidine | See latest prices |
Prescription drug prices often change. These are the most accurate medication prices at the time of publishing. The listed price without insurance references the price of brand-name drugs (unless otherwise specified). The listed SingleCare price references the price of generic drugs if available. Click the link under “Savings options” to see the latest drug prices.
Save up to 80% on Lumigan with SingleCare
Different pharmacies offer different prices for the same medication. SingleCare helps find the best price for you.
Lumigan costs by dose
Lumigan comes in only one dosage strength: 0.01% (0.1 mg/mL). Generic bimatoprost only comes as a 0.03% solution (0.3 mg/mL). So patients will pay less for the higher concentration, but it may not be appropriate for some people. You may need a new prescription for the currently available generic version.
Compare Lumigan prices by strength |
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|---|---|---|
| (per 2.5 mL bottle of ophthalmic solution) | ||
| Strength | SingleCare price of brand-name Lumigan | SingleCare price of generic Lumigan |
| 0.01% of Lumigan | $260 | — |
| 0.03% of bimatoprost | — | $56 |
Is Lumigan covered by insurance?
Lumigan is usually covered by health insurance plans, Medicare drug plans, and Medicaid. Surprisingly, generic bimatoprost 0.03% is not always covered. Insurance plans typically don’t have special requirements for covering Lumigan other than quantity limits. They usually place Lumigan in a lower copay tier, so the out-of-pocket cost will not be very high unless there are other fees.
How to get Lumigan covered by insurance
Since Lumigan is generally covered by insurance, the most likely reason a prescription has been rejected is that you’ve exceeded quantity limits. If that’s the case, then typically the patient has to pay the full cash price or go without for a few days. Before doing that, ask the prescribing healthcare provider about filing an exception with the insurance company. The prescriber would have to submit a letter of medical necessity and ask for an expedited review. The next step is to ask the pharmacist for help. The pharmacist may be able to give or sell you an emergency supply. The pharmacist could also request a vacation override to get you the medication earlier than usual.
If Lumigan is not covered at all, ask the prescriber to request a formulary exception. You should also ask about alternative drugs, as well. For Lumigan-type drugs, insurance companies typically cover latanoprost and travoprost. They both work similarly to Lumigan at reducing ocular hypertension. One of these will likely be covered if Lumigan isn’t.
How to get Lumigan without insurance
The expense of brand-name prescriptions like Lumigan adds up quickly. The manufacturer of Lumigan has patient assistance programs, but eligibility requirements may be hard to meet. There are more certain options, starting with a SingleCare discount card.
1. Get a SingleCare discount card
Your SingleCare savings card is free. The price of a 2.5 mL bottle of 0.01% Lumigan may drop from $355 to $260, giving you a monthly savings of $70. That’s over $800 per year that could stay in your pocket by just showing the SingleCare discount card.
2. Shop around at different pharmacies
SingleCare coupons for Lumigan lower the price of the product at over 35,000 pharmacies nationwide, but the discount prices will vary between pharmacies.
3. Consider generic bimatoprost
Ask the ophthalmologist about switching to generic 0.03% bimatoprost ophthalmic solution. A SingleCare coupon for bimatoprost 0.03% can bring the cost of a 2.5 mL bottle down to around $60, a big difference from $260 for 2.5 mL of Lumigan. Before you get too excited about lower prices, you need to get the medical advice of your healthcare provider to determine if this is a recommended alternative for you or if you should use Lumigan.
4. Look into other prescription medications
While you are speaking to your eye care professional, you may also want to ask about alternatives to bimatoprost. Generic versions of other prostaglandin eye drops for glaucoma can cost a fraction of the price of Lumigan. These include latanoprost, tafluprost, and travoprost. Other categories of drops for ocular hypertension are beta blockers, like timolol maleate, and alpha agonists, like brimonidine, which are also lower-priced generic drugs.
- Allergan wins patent fight for Lumigan 0.01%, American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Bimatoprost solution/drops prescribing information, DailyMed (NIH National Library of Medicine)
- Lumigan drug patent profile, DrugPatentWatch (2024)
- Lumigan bimatoprost solution/drops prescribing information, DailyMed (NIH National Library of Medicine)