WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the next two weeks,
the "Help is Here Express" national bus tour will be in wildfire-ravaged
areas of Southern California, attempting to help uninsured and
under-insured victims access the medicines they need. The first stop will
be from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. today at St. Peter's Catholic Community Church
in Fallbrook, CA.
This marks the seventh time the Partnership for Prescription Assistance
(PPA), a nationwide effort sponsored by America's pharmaceutical research
companies, has been to California. The PPA is a national clearinghouse and
a single point of access to more than 475 patient assistance programs --
including nearly 200 sponsored by pharmaceutical companies -- which provide
free or nearly free medicines to eligible patients in need. Patients can
find out in 10 to 15 minutes free of charge if they may qualify for
assistance. So far, the PPA has helped more than 250,000 Californians in a
little over two years. Nationwide, it has helped more than 4.3 million
patients.
In addition to help from the PPA, America's pharmaceutical research
companies have already contributed millions of dollars in cash and products
to California's fire victims in an effort spearheaded by three
California-based companies -- Amgen Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. Other companies making contributions
include Abbott, AstraZeneca LP, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline,
Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk Inc., Pfizer Inc, Hoffman-LaRoche Inc,
Schering-Plough Corporation, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. and
Wyeth. The donations have been made to a wide range of organizations,
including the American Red Cross, AmeriCares, Project Hope, the Southern
California Wildfire Relief Fund, the After-the-Fires Fund and Direct Relief
International.
The national PPA bus tour has visited all 50 states and more than 1,500
towns and cities to raise awareness about patient assistance programs. More
than 1,300 local, state and national partners -- including the California
Arthritis Foundation, La Raza Network and NAMI California -- are also
working with pharmaceutical research companies to spread the word.
"We are committed to helping uninsured Southern California fire victims
who have lost access to the medicines they need to fight disease and
illness," Billy Tauzin, PhRMA president and CEO, said today. "The 'Help is
Here Express' will be traveling throughout the areas devastated by
wildfires. We want to do our part by including a way for patient assistance
programs to provide expedited assistance to patients in obtaining their
medicines."
The "Help is Here Express" bus traveling through Southern California is
equipped with computer terminals and phones and staffed by trained
specialists so patients can find out quickly if they may be eligible for
free or nearly free medicines. The trained specialists, as well as patients
at home who can't make it to the bus, can visit the PPA's easy-to-use Web
site (http://www.pparx.org) or call its toll-free phone number
(1-888-4PPA-NOW). Operators field calls from patients in 150 languages.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology
companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to
live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are
leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested
an estimated $43 billion in 2006 in discovering and developing new
medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $55.2
billion in 2006.
PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org
For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit:
http://www.innovation.org
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit:
http://www.pparx.org
For information on the danger of imported drugs, visit:
http://www.buysafedrugs.info
SOURCE Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
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Related links:
http://www.pparx.org
http://www.innovation.org http://www.buysafedrugs.info
CONTACT:
Jeff Trewhitt, or Ken Johnson, Senior Vice
President, both of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of
America, +1-202-835-3460
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