Prescription assistance info available on Web

Surf’s up. Not the ocean wave surfing glorified in Beach Boys music, but Internet Web site surfing. Just as there are endless waves in the ocean, there are seemingly endless Web sites full of useful information on line.

Sometimes Web sites are the best way to find information. And some organizations do business exclusively on line.

Take Needymeds.com for example, a Web site striving to inform people about prescription drug assistance, founded in 1997 by former Bangor physician Dr. Richard J. Sagall and Libby Overly, a home health social worker from Alabama.

Libby had developed a database on patient assistance programs with the express desire to help her clients who were unable to pay for medication. When Dr. Sagall became aware of the database, he thought the information could reach many more people if it were online.

“Needymeds.com is strictly an information source, kind of like the yellow pages,” said Roberta Downey, director of program outreach based in Bangor. “We don’t supply people with actual medications, nor do we offer financial assistance. Our mission is to provide information, free of charge, to anyone who needs help paying for medicine.”

One of the largest areas of information that can help people is called patient assistance programs, PAPs, “which are designed to help those in need obtain their medicines at no cost or very low cost,” said Downey.

“Many pharmaceutical companies have PAPs,” she added. “The drug manufacturers who offer these programs do it for a variety of reasons. Some feel a corporate social obligation to help those who can’t afford their products, while others believe it’s a good marketing tool.”

Most people don’t even know that PAPs exist, and even some doctors are unaware of which companies offer the programs, she said.

Needymeds.com to the rescue

“It is very simple to use the NeedyMeds site,” said Downey. “Log on Needymeds.com. Click on Home, then look to the left. You’ll see ‘Patient Assistance Programs.’ Click on the appropriate line, either brand names or generic. A page will come up offering you the alphabet. Click on the first letter of your drug’s name and scroll down until you find it. Click on it and a page will appear that will tell you about the drug company and if there is a PAP for your drug. If so, click on ‘Application.’ You can then print this off, fill it out and take to your doctor. It is that simple a process.”

Simple, huh? Where does Medicare D fit in?

“Well, some patient assistance programs offered by pharmaceutical companies are willing to help Part D enrollees when they reach the doughnut hole if they meet income requirements, but each company has its own set of rules,” said Downey. “To get the latest information, contact the PAP which distributes your medicine.”

And while some seniors may not have computers, they can still use the information available on these Web sites.

“Nearly everyone knows someone with a computer these days, whether a family member, a neighbor or a friend,” said Downey. “And most public libraries have computers for public use and staff who can help.”

Needymeds.com is a free service. There is no sign-up, no registration, not even a place to put your name. Just log on, get what you need for information, and log off. It is risk-free. And as always, if help is needed, Eastern Agency on Aging stands at the ready to assist.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865, e-mail info@eaaa.org or log on www.eaaa.org.