Patient Assistance Programs at Pharmaceutical Companies

Patient Assistance Programs, or PAPs, are created by pharmaceutical companies to offer medication access to people who can't afford prescription medications. Patients eligible for prescription assistance receive medications at little or no cost. According to AstraZeneca's RxAssist, PAPs cover most frequently prescribed medications. Eligibility requirements vary from company to company. All major pharmaceutical companies voluntarily offer PAPs, including AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck.

AstraZeneca

• The AZ&Me Prescription Savings program offers free AstraZeneca medications to qualifying patients who lack insurance coverage for prescription medications. Patients must apply for the program and accepted patients are enrolled for up to one year. After one year, participants must reapply. The application includes several sections that the patient's doctor must fill out and applicants must provide financial documentation. To be eligible, patients must not have prescription drug coverage or assistance through any insurance company or other patient assistance program. Patients with Medicare may be exempt from this requirement. Applicants must also meet income requirements set by AstraZeneca.

GlaxoSmithKline

• GlaxoSmithKline offers several prescription assistance programs, which gave more than 460,000 patients access to prescription medications in 2009. Each program has specific income requirements based upon the number of people in each household and the household's gross monthly income. All three programs require applicants to live in one of the 50 U.S. states or Washington D.C.

  Bridges to Access is offered to low-income patients with no prescription medication coverage. The program does not include oncology medications. Applicants must provide proof of income for the previous 30 days.

  Commitment to Access covers specialty medications and oncology-related products at no cost to eligible patients. To qualify, applicants must not have prescription drug coverage (unless it only covers generic prescriptions). Applicants may be on Medicare Part D, if they spent $600 or more on prescriptions during the current year.

  GSK Access covers non-oncology medications and products at no cost for qualifying patients who have the Medicare Part D Prescription plan. Applicants must meet income requirements and have spent $600 or more on prescription medications throughout the current year.

Merck

• Merck's PAP offers free medications for up to one year to patients who meet eligibility requirements. Applicants must reside in the U.S., have a valid prescription for a Merck medication, lack other prescription drug coverage and meet income requirements. These conditions must be met to be eligible for the program; however, individuals experiencing financial hardship who meet some criteria may call 800-994-2111 to speak with a PAP specialist and to request an exception.