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Drug Firms Join to Help Uninsured

Published:
16-Jan-2005

From the Philadelphia Inquirer

Eleven pharmaceutical companies launched a card program yesterday that will offer discounts on prescription drug purchases for 36 million uninsured Americans.

The Together RX Access Card program, which begins in February, will provide savings of 25 percent to 40 percent off the retail price of more than 275 brand-name drugs offered by the companies. The drugs treat ailments including diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and arthritis.

Legal U.S. residents who are uninsured, under age 65, ineligible for Medicare, and have no public or private drug coverage are eligible for the card if they meet program income guidelines. The guidelines vary depending on family size. Application information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-444-4106 or at www.TogetherRxAccess.com.

Together RX Access is an umbrella group of 11 drug companies: Abbott Laboratories, AstraZeneca P.L.C., Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C., Janssen Pharmaceutica Products L.P., Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Inc., Pfizer Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. At a news conference, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson drew laughter when he said he hoped the program would enlist "so many people... that companies will almost regret starting it."

Cost may be negligible and benefits large for the industry. Sena Lund, a drug-company analyst at Cathay Financials, said firms began expanding discount programs in recent years in response to public anger over drug costs. With Americans taking billions of dollars worth of drugs, the cost of discounting is relatively small.

David Brennan, CEO of AstraZeneca's Wilmington-based U.S. operation, said drug discounts could help needy patients without a significant effect on company profits. Pfizer said it did "not anticipate that this will have a material impact on the company, although we are taking a hit," said spokeswoman Michal Fishman.

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