Express Scripts Adds More Generics to Rx Outreach
Posted on: Wednesday, 1 March 2006, 00:00 CST
By Mary Jo Feldstein, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Feb. 27--Scripts Inc. is nearly doubling the number of low-cost generic drugs it offers through Rx Outreach, the company's assistance program for low-income patients.
Rx Outreach, a mail-order program aimed at the uninsured and underinsured, offers prescription drugs to treat a variety of conditions and diseases, including arthritis, asthma, cancer, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
The program began last year with discounts on 55 drugs. It will expand to cover 107 drugs, beginning Wednesday.
Maryland Heights-based Express Scripts, one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefits managers, typically provides prescription drug coverage to patients through their employers.
"The patient outreach program is something we offer because it's the right thing to do," said Rita Holmes-Bobo, an Express Scripts spokeswoman. "We know the need is out there."
With Rx Outreach, patients pay $20 or $30 for each 90-day prescription or refill. The fee covers administrative costs, such as shipping and handling. Without the program, patients would pay, on average, $100 or more for the same drug.
The program is available to individuals and families with incomes of up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level. That's an annual income of about $50,000 for a family of four.
Rx Outreach filled 771,000 prescriptions in 2005, saving 267,000 patients more than $61 million. The company expects that number "will increase dramatically" under the expanded program, Holmes-Bobo said.
Rx Outreach is offered in every state and Puerto Rico. Its largest presence is in Tennessee, Texas, Kentucky, Georgia and Ohio.
"A huge barrier to caring for patients lacking health insurance is their difficulty in affording their medications," Dr. Michael Cecil, a Georgia cardiologist, said in a statement accompanying the release. "Hundreds of our patients receive the drugs they need at prices they can afford via this program."
As the number of uninsured Americans has climbed in recent years, several drug companies, including Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co., have also begun offering them lower-cost access to medications.
-----
To see more of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stltoday.com.
Copyright (c) 2006, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
PFE, MRK,
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Related Articles
- NABP Applauds LegitScript and KnujOn for Spotlighting Exploitation of Internet Ad Programs by Rogue Internet Drug Outlets
- Pitavastatin Demonstrates Promise for Low Incidence of Drug-Drug Interaction
- EDAP Participates in Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Patient Outreach Efforts; Three Key Events Dedicated to Improving Early Diagnosis and Treatment
- Prescription Solutions' Program Helps Prevent Adverse Drug Reactions, a Significant Health Hazard Especially for the Elderly
- eRx Collaborative Boosts Patient Safety With 8,000 Prescriptions Changed in June; Record Number of Electronic Prescriptions Changed As a Result of Drug-Drug and Drug-Allergy Alerts
- Aeon Sold Drugs Without Prescription in 17 Prefectures
- Statement of Former U.S. Senator Breaux on CMS' Announcement ofMedicare Prescription Drug Benefit Enrollment Numbers
- Not Telling Patients About New Drugs is 'Unethical and Paternalistic'
- Experts Estimate the Number of Underage Drug Users at 600,000
- Advances in Single-Patient Trials for Drug Treatment Optimization and Risk Management*
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds