Physicians find that writing the prescription isn't always enough

Ethics Forum. Dec. 4, 2006.

Scenario: How can you help patients who can't afford meds?

Few, if any, brand-name prescription medications are cheap. And for patients who need but cannot afford them, the quest for "free drugs" is fraught with frustrations.

Reply:

Physicians who want to help their patients find affordable or free prescription medications face ethical and professional challenges in doing so. Doctors have three options for securing brand-name medications for their patients who cannot afford them:

Patient-assistance programs. Also known as indigent drug programs or charitable drug programs, these can be publicly or privately funded. Pharmaceutical companies usually operate these private programs that provide specific medications at low or no cost to patients who qualify. Eligibility is based on an income means test that often requires patients to be at or below the federal poverty level.

Free samples. Pharmaceutical representatives routinely give clinics and physician offices samples of prescription medications.

Less-expensive alternatives. If a generic substitute for the brand-name medication is available, some patients may be able to pay out of pocket for the medication.

Patient-assistance programs are designed and operated by most large pharmaceutical companies for specific drugs they manufacture and decide to offer at discounts, and the application process and eligibility criteria vary tremendously among companies. Some programs, for example, require patients to renew their applications for assistance every three months; others have shorter or longer time frames.