Pfizer's Unprecedented Program to Help Millions of Uninsured Americans

A national coalition recently kicked off the largest-ever private-sector program to help patients who lack prescription coverage get access to medicines they need. Partnership for Prescription Assistance United America’s Pharmaceutical Companies, doctors, patients, advocates, and community groups launched an awareness program in all 50 states. The initiative is aimed at encouraging many eligible patients as possible to apply for public and private patient assistance programs. “We have a responsibility to not only invent new medicines but to help those in need obtain them,” said Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America (PhRMA). The Partnership offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. To find out if they qualify, patients can visit a user-friendly web site (pparx.org) or call toll-free to speak with a trained specialist who can provide application assistance in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages. More than 50 national organizations and hundreds of state and local organizations are working with America’s pharmaceutical companies to spread the word about the program. For more information, call 1-888-4PPA-NOW. Pfizer had the first comprehensive savings program for people without prescription drug coverage. Pfizer Helpful Answers (pfizerhelpfulanswers.com) helps uninsured Americans, regardless of their income; get Pfizer medicines for free or at meaningful savings. For instance, in their Hospital Partnership Program medications are distributed through 40 qualified federally designated disproportionate share hospitals with in-house pharmacies. The Pfizer Pfriends Program give families up to 50 percent off the retail price of medications that have incomes of $45,000 or less per year. People who earn more than $31,000 per year save up to 25 percent off the retail price. More than 95 percent of retail pharmacies nationwide are involved in this program which also has a mail-order service. In the Together RX Access Program over 275 brand-name prescription products and a wide range of generic products are covered. Pfizer also participates in Medicare-approved drug discount card programs with 24 cards involved. This program also has a mail-order service. The company also sends employees for up to six months to support non-governmental organizations (NGOs) fighting HIV/AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in developing countries and since 2002 the Pfizer Foundation has awarded $4 million in grants to support 26 organizations working in Africa. The Pfizer Foundation Global Community Matching Fund supports local philanthropy by providing matching grants for Pfizer’s subsidiaries and contributions to local charitable programs. Launched in 2001 as a partnership between Florida and Pfizer, Inc., Florida: A Healthy State provides innovative patient education and nursing care to high-risk Medicaid patients through a statewide network of community hospitals, civic organizations, and patient advocate groups. The program has reached nearly 150,000 Medicaid beneficiaries while saving the state $61.1 million over the past two years. Fifty-two percent of patients showed improvement in their physical health score between baseline and most recent follow-up, 53 percent improved their mental health score, 39 percent their medication compliance score, and 42 percent of heart failure patients improved their heart function after one year of care management. For more information on Pfizer’s programs, call 1-800-706-2400.