Health Affairs

Health Affairs, 28, no. 3 (2009): 827-834 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.3.827 © 2009 by Project HOPE	New Online   Getting Health Reform Done   After the State of the Union   Incremental Reform   E-Health in Developing World   Most-Read Articles in 2009

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Drug Company–Sponsored Patient Assistance Programs: A Viable Safety Net?

Niteesh K. Choudhry, Joy L. Lee, Jessica Agnew-Blais, Colleen Corcoran and William H. Shrank

Drug company–sponsored patient assistance programs (PAPs) provide access to brand-name medications at little or no cost and have been advocated as a safety net for inadequately insured patients. Yet little is known about these programs. We surveyed drug company–sponsored PAPs and found much variability in their structures and application processes. Most cover one or two drugs. Only 4 percent disclosed how many patients they had directly helped, and half would not disclose their income eligibility criteria. A better understanding of PAPs might clarify their role in improving access to medications, the adequacy of existing public programs, and their impact on cost-effective medication use.

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