Patient Management
HELPING PATIENTS SEEK FINANCIAL AID TO BUY MEDICINE

Drug Assistance programs, long sponsored by pharmaceutical manufacturers, provide consumers with billions of dollars a year in free or low-cost drugs. To qualify, patients must meet strict financial requirements.

Many companies have different programs for different drugs, and each program often has its own set of rules.

Application forms for many programs are available from the drug companies or from patient-advocate Web sites, including www.NeedyMeds.org, as well as from www.pparx.org, the site of PhRMA's Partnership for Prescription Assistance. The sites generally guide patients to specific programs, and some may offer references to local community groups that help people fill out the applications.

Despite the lengthy paperwork, advocates say most patients can tackle the application process on their own.

Once a patient is approved, medicines can take from two days to a month to arrive and are usually sent to the patient's doctor or pharmacy.

Most states sponsor a handful of programs that also home low-income