Press Release
Contact:
Lynda Dee:
410-332-1170
FPC NEGOTIATES FOR PATIENT ASSISTANCE
AND CO-PAY
PROGRAMS
Washington, DC, April 1, 2009 - The Fair
Pricing Coalition (FPC), which was founded by the late Martin
Delaney of Project
Inform, is a national coalition of activists who work on HIV drug
pricing issues and who help control drug costs, thereby insuring access
for recipients of state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), Medicare and
Medicaid, and patients who are privately insured,
underinsured and uninsured.
The FPC has recently negotiated with all major HIV drug manufacturers to
require them to institute patient drug
co-pay programs. The new drug co-pay programs are a direct result of intense
work and negotiations between the FPC and representatives of the
pharmaceutical industry.
Most, if not all, HIV pharmaceutical companies already provide some level
of patient assistance to individuals who
are unable to afford their HIV medications. Several companies have also recently
instituted co-pay assistance programs, which may cover all or part of the
drug co-pay for many privately insured patients, up to a specified amount, and
for a pre-determined period of time, for example, up to
one year. Certain restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. For example,
ADAP, Medicare and Medicaid patients are ineligible for co-pay programs.
Eligibility requirements may vary from
program to program. Once eligibility is determined, most companies will
then provide patients with a co-pay card which can be presented to a
pharmacist or a mail order pharmacy when
filling your prescription. Since the FPC expects the launch of new programs and
revisions in current programs as negotiations continue, patients should
contact or ask their health care providers
or pharmacies to contact drug manufacturers directly for updated details on a
specific drug.
Jeff Berry, Editor of Positively Aware, Chicago, IL and FPC
member states “In our current economic crisis and with
the continued rising costs associated with health care, these new programs
offer much needed assistance to people who may have insurance but who can
not afford to pay the ever rising cost of their monthly prescription
co-pays.”
Below is a brief description of most HIV drug co-pay
programs:
Abbott: Positive Partnership PLUS Card—Abbott
recently launched a pilot program that expands the Positive
Partnership Card. This 12 month program covers Kaletra plus other ARVs and
requires no income or co-pay eligibility requirements. Your first out of
pocket dollar will be covered up to a maximum
of $50 for Kaletra each month. Abbott will also cover another $50 monthly for
each additional HIV prescription up to a limit of $100 monthly. The FPC is
extremely disappointed that Norvir is currently not part of this program.
Visit http://www.kaletra.com/
for more information.
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) recently
announced that they will be launching a co-pay program in April of
2009. Their program will include Reyataz and Sustiva. More details will be
provided as they become available. We hope Atripla, the one pill once a day, which
BMS comanufacturers with Gilead will be covered in the BMS
program.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK): Patient Savings Card—The GSK
program is the most patient friendly, covering the
entire amount of all your actual out-of-pocket cost up to a maximum of
$100 for each prescription. All GSK HIV drugs are covered, including
Combivir, Epivir, Epzicom, Lexiva,
Retrovir, Trizivir, and Ziagen. Visit http://www.mysupportcard.com/
for more information and to print the card.
Gilead: Truvada Co-pay Assistance Program—Gilead’s
program covers Truvada, Emtriva, and Viread.
This program covers only high co-pays and kicks in only once patients have spent
over $50 in out-of-pocket costs and covers a maximum of $200 in co-pays
per month. Patients or providers can call toll-free 1-888-358-0398 to receive an
eligibility card from Gilead by mail. Atripla is
currently not part of this program.
Merck: Unfortunately, Merck does not have a
specific insurance co-pay assistance program. However, it
does have a patient assistance program for Isentress and Crixivan called
“Support.” If patients need co-pay assistance for Crixivan or Isentress
they need to use the “Support” program. Call
1-800-850-3430, or visit http://www.isentress.com/,
click on the site map, and then click “Support.” Patients have
experienced difficulty in accessing the co-pay aspect of this
program.
Pfizer: The FPC is also disappointed that Pfizer does not offer
co-pay assistance for any of its HIV
medications. It does provide reimbursement assistance, appeals assistance, and
patient assistance for Selzentry, Viracept and Rescriptor. Pfizer also offers
information on obtaining assistance with tropism
testing. Call the Pfizer RSVP program at 1-888-327-RSVP
(7787).
Tibotec: Tibotec Therapeutics Patient Savings
Program—Tibotec covers Prezista and Intelence. This program
covers 80% of the amount of your actual out-of-pocket cost up to $100 per
drug per month. Visit www.prezista.com/prezista/patient_assistance.html
or call toll-free 1-866-961-7169.
For
more information, please call the Project
Inform Hotline at 1-800-822-7422.
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