In Economic Downturn, Patience Assistance Programs Can Help

pharmacy

To help improve access to prescription medications and quality healthcare during these difficult economic times, a number of pharmaceutical companies are promoting their patient assistance programs and, in some cases, are expanding these initiatives. Here is an overview of some no-cost and discount programs and where patients can get more information.

• The Partnership for Prescription Assistance
helps qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need for free or nearly free. Its mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible. The PPA offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private programs, including nearly 200
offered by pharmaceutical companies.(For more information, please visit www.pparx.org).

• The Together Rx Access, LLC is an initiative to help uninsured Americans gain access to prescription products at significant savings. Using the Together Rx Access Card, eligible patients can also save on prescription medicines and generic products at pharmacy counters. Eligible uninsured individuals can expect to save from 25 to 40 percent, and sometimes more, on these prescription products directly from the manufacturers.

In March, the initiative announced expanded income levels for which individuals are eligible to participate in the program. (For more information, please visit www.togetherrxaccess.com).

• Abbott Laboratories offers a variety of programs through its Patient Assistance Foundation, making Abbott products available to low-income patients and families who do not have access to patients in financial need and those who do not have private, public or government insurer drug coverage. (For more information, please visit
www.abbott.com).

• This summer, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP, extended the reach of its prescription savings program to include qualifying patients who have recently lost their jobs, had their incomes reduced or experienced a change in marital status or family size. In the past, patients whose W2 statements showed a non-qualifying income had problems applying to the program. Now qualifying patients who provide documentation of their current income and family size can apply for and enroll in the program more easily. (To learn more about AstraZeneca’s AZ&Me Prescription Savings programs for people without insurance, for those with Medicare Part D and for healthcare facilities, please visit www.azandme.com).

• The Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., patient assistance program makes BI products available to low-income patients and families who do not have access to private, public or government
insurer drug coverage. (To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit www.rxhope.com). With AmeriCares Free Clinics, in May, BI expanded its provision of free medical care to Danbury, Connecticut’s large uninsured population by opening a new, larger
facility. (For more information about this clinic and BI’s support of AmeriCares’ mobile outreach program, please visit http://us.boehringer-ingelheim.com).

• Gilead Sciences, Inc., introduced GileadSolutions, a comprehensive set of programs designed to provide greater access to care for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension when its drug Letairis (ambrisentan) was approved for treatment of PAH in June 2007. Since then, this program has helped patients without insurance to determine if they qualify for public or private insurance programs for prescription drug coverage. Those who do not may be eligible to receive therapy free of charge. And through two other GileadSolutions initiatives, Gilead works to reduce out-of-pocket costs for people with private and/or public insurance. Patients must be enrolled in the Letairis Education and Access Program (LEAP) to receive Letairis and before they can receive assistance through GileadSolutions. Patients in LEAP are also enrolled into LabSync, which helps patients comply with laboratory appointments, including troubleshooting of insurance issues before testing begins. (For more information on these programs, please visit www.gilead.com)

• GlaxoSmithKline also offers assistance to patients who don’t have prescription drug coverage through its “Bridges for Access” program, which provides noncancer medications to eligible low-income patients with low co-pays at participating retail drug stores or through mail order. And its “Commitment to Access” program allows patients with low incomes and limited prescription drug benefits to obtain outpatient cancer and specialty medications for free. “GSK Access,” on the other hand, provides prescription medications at no cost to Medicare Part D Drug Plan enrollees who meet the eligibility requirements. (For more information on GSK’s programs, please visit www.gskforyou.com).

• Merck & Co., Inc., has increased the number of people who may benefit from its patient assistance program by raising the amount of income potential patients can earn and still qualify to receive Merck medications for free. As of March, patients in the U.S. may be eligible for the program if their household income is at or below 400-percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Previously, patients were only eligible if they were 200-percent below the FPL. (For more information on Merck’s Patient Assistance Program and Prescription Discount Program, please visit www.merck.com/merckhelps).

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September 28, 2009  Tags: ,   Posted in: COPD - Medications and Treatment, COPD - Patient Resources

One Response

  1. rsagall - September 29, 2009

    All the information on pharmaceutical patient assistance programs plus hundreds of other programs is available for free at http://www.needymeds.org. Each workday over 12,000 people visit our site. We have all the applications on the website.

    Our information is ease to access, updated regularly, and free. We gather no information about our users.

    You don’t have to pay to apply to these programs. Most are easy to apply to and respond quickly.

    We also offer a free drug discount card. No registration is required and anyone is eligible to use it.

    Rich Sagall, MD
    President
    NeedyMeds, Inc.
    P.O. Box 219
    Gloucester, MA 01931
    richsagall@needymeds.org

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