Medication assistance programs, pharmaceutical

Medication Assistance Programs, Pharmaceutical Company-Sponsored... 

Pharmaceutical Benefits Under State Medical Assistance Programs, 1999, National Pharm. Council Reston, Virginia, 2000 Vol. 4.8. 

Pharmacists can play an important role in this process. Pharmacists can inform patients and other healthcare professionals about the availability of pharmaceutical company medication assistance programs, initiate the enrollment process, and develop strategies that use medication assistance programs to reduce institutional financial losses. 

Two ethical issues concerning pharmaceutical company-sponsored medication assistance programs include drug diversion and the reporting of false information to obtain medications. Drug diversion and the reporting of false... 

Many patients cannot afford to purchase needed prescription medication. Approximately 16% of the U.S. population docs not have any health insurance, and a greater percentage has health insurance without prescription medication benefits. Pharmaceutical company-sponsored medication assistance programs provide valuable options to both patients and healthcare providers by providing drugs to patients who have limited means of purchasing their medications. 

Procuring medications for indigent patients through pharmaceutical industry patient assistance programs... 

Another excellent area for pharmacists to become involved in pain management is in assisting those patients who are unable to afford their medications. All the pharmaceutical companies have patient assistance programs. These programs require a close relationship with a prescribing physician because the medications are usually shipped directly to the physician s office. There are several web sites devoted to patient assistance programs that are excellent places to start ... 

This study was supported in part by the Program for the Promotion of Fundamental Studies in Health Sciences (MPJ-6) of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). The authors thank Yakult Honshu Co. for generously donating SN-38 and SN-38 glucuronide, and Ms. Clue Knudsenfor her secretarial assistance. 

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