PPA Hits Milestone

By Connecting 2.5 Million Patients to Patient Assistance Programs

Program Also Refers 45,000 Patients to Free Health Clinics in First Three Months of Operation

Washington, D.C. – The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), today announced it has matched more than 2.5 million patients to patient assistance programs around the country. The national program -- sponsored by America's pharmaceutical research companies to help patients in need access prescription medicines -- is the largest private-sector effort to connect low-income, uninsured or underinsured patients to prescription assistance programs, many of which provide medicines for free or nearly free.

"The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is making unparalleled strides to reach the millions of Americans who desperately need help accessing their prescription medicines," Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. "We are taking the program across the country visiting every state and stopping in hundreds of cities to inform patients in need that help is available. But our job isn't done and we stand committed to reaching even more patients who need help."

In its first year of operation, the PPA learned that access to a physician was often the greatest obstacle to completing applications for patient assistance programs. So, in April 2006, the PPA added a new feature to the program: a database that connects patients with free health clinics and healthcare providers in their community. Since the inception of the free health clinic database, the PPA has provided this information to 45,219 patients.

"Helping 2.5 million people is a tremendous accomplishment. But we are not satisfied and plan to send our buses to even more cities across America in the coming months. To date, we have already traveled over 100,000 miles -- the equivalent of more than 4 times around the world -- helping people in need. But there are still people who need our help," said PPA National Spokesman Montel Williams.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (1-888-4PPA-NOW; www.pparx.org) is the only program that provides a single point of access to the more than 475 patient assistance programs nationwide. More than 180 of these programs are offered by pharmaceutical companies themselves.

More than 1,300 national and local organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Urban League, United Way of America, Easter Seals and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, have partnered with America's pharmaceutical research companies to help spread the word about the PPA.