Low Cost and Discount Prescription Drugs

Below is a "free" do-it-yourself resource for locating free and low cost drugs.

Most major drug companies provide free medications, but rarely, if ever publicize the programs.

• Nearly 46 million Americans are lacking health care insurance. 
• Many uninsured sick people can not afford potentially life saving drugs. 
• Many pharmaceutical companies offer patient assistance programs to help those who are experiencing a temporary financial hardship and do not have access to prescription reimbursement programs. 
• These free drug programs are being used by only a small number of people that could truly benefit from them.
• These programs usually require that you are not eligible for any other form of assistance. 
• Normally, application for this type of assistance must be made through you physician. 

Generally drug companies require a doctor's consent to provide the medication and proof of the patient's financial hardship.

Because each pharmaceutical company has their own set of requirements and these requirements can frequently change, it's not possible to summarize them here.

How to Find the Prescription Drug You Need

Look up the drug name in the alphabetical listing below or in the Directory of Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs compiled by the member companies of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Researchers of America.

Please be aware that pharmaceutical manufacturers' names and programs can change and new prescription drugs are frequently added. 

If a particular prescription drug you are using is not listed in the Directory of Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs, just ask your pharmacist or physician for the name of the manufacturer of that drug and their phone number. It's certainly worth a small effort on your part to find out if there is a patient assistance program and if you qualify for it.

How to Proceed


1. Phone the pharmaceutical manufacturer and ask them if they have a patient assistance program. NOTE: If they don't respond to the name "patient assistance program", you might give them the following alternative names by which these programs are sometimes referred:

• reimbursement program
• indigent patient program
• compassionate care program
• medical needs program

2. Ask the representative what the requirements are to participate in their program. Some companies require that you have a limited income or no insurance coverage, while others require only that you get a doctor's referral. 

3. If you qualify for a particular program, speak with your doctor's office and let them know. In most cases you will need your physician to request your participation in a program by a phone call or letter from your doctor.

4.  Should your doctor refuse to call or does not believe the program will work, contact the drug company or companies yourself and find out about the application process. While you will still need a doctor to fill out the application, you can at least get the forms, and then encourage your doctor to complete them. 

You can also take a look at the RxHope website.  This site is directed toward physicians and health care providers and it might be a good "third party" way to introduce this idea to your physician and could help overcome any objections your physician or health care provider initially may have. There is a convenient online application form which your physician or health care provider can fill out... and which will make their participation in these programs a lot easier.

If your doctor still refuses, as a last resort it's possible that you can find another doctor who will be willing to accommodate you and your needs.

5.  Ask the pharmaceutical company how you will receive the prescription drugs, and how you can get refills. It is the policy of most companies to send the medications directly to your physician. However, there have been reports of occasional delays in receiving the drugs.  It's best to find out ahead of time what the drug company's shipping policy and schedule is and what you or your doctor should do if there's a problem or delay.

RxHope.com: The Heart of The Pharmaceutical Industry

"Please note that the use of RxHope.com is limited to Prescriber offices and certain Patient Advocate Organizations." 

RxHope.com The Heart of the Pharmaceutical Industry provides Patient Prescribers and Health Care Providers with patient assistance request form  

"The Pharmaceutical Industry is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs prescription medications is able to receive them.

"RxHope.com can help prescribers obtain these medications for their patients when the patient is unable to afford them and does not have access to prescription insurance or government-funded programs.

"Best of all, this service is FAST, SIMPLE, and FREE. The procedure for applying for these medications is as simple as entering your request on the “Patient Assistance Request Form”. Once completed, your request is sent directly to the pharmaceutical company for processing. That’s it. No more forms to complete, no red tape; no dead-end phone calls.

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