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News Release
Pfizer Announces Large
Drug Discounts for 43 Million Uninsured
$15 flat
fee on many Pfizer drugs for low-income on Medicare
July 7, 2004 -- Pfizer Inc said today it will
launch the pharmaceutical industry's most comprehensive initiative to
significantly expand access to prescription medicines across the United
States, with a specific focus on enabling America's 43 million uninsured
to obtain Pfizer medicines at significant savings.
With enrollment beginning in August, Pfizer will
provide millions of working families without drug coverage access to
Pfizer medicines at an average savings of 37 percent. Pfizer's
medicines treat many common medical conditions, including hypertension,
cardiovascular disease, depression and diabetes.
America's uninsured suffer because they can't
afford to see doctors as well as get preventive care, needed medical
tests and prescription medicines. The uninsured also lack the purchasing
power of large-volume buyers like health maintenance organizations and
large employers. Many of their treatable medical conditions go
undetected for years until expensive medical interventions, often in
America's already overloaded emergency rooms, are required.
In response, Pfizer will offer uninsured families
earning less than $45,000 a year the ability to buy medicines at prices
similar to those paid by large purchasers. Families without drug
coverage making more than $45,000 will be eligible for average savings
of 15 percent off retail prices if they do not have drug coverage.
"We are providing choice, simplicity and expanded
access to help Americans get the medicines they need," said Pfizer
Chairman and Chief Executive Hank McKinnell. "Because we all know that
millions of Americans can't afford health insurance, we are making an
unprecedented commitment to help these hard-working people gain access
to prescription medicines. We understand the need for action to help
people who can't afford medicines or insurance, and that is why we are
pleased that this initiative is receiving such widespread support from
political leaders, our health care partners and the business community,"
he said.
"Today, Pfizer Inc has taken a revolutionary step
toward ensuring that our most vulnerable citizens are no longer denied
the prescription drugs they need to stay healthy," said Michigan
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "For Michigan, this decision means that
more than 950,000 low-income citizens across our state will have
assistance with the cost of Pfizer medications, and will be able to
spend their limited resources on other priorities like housing and
groceries.
"We are proud to consider Pfizer Inc an important
part of our economic fabric in Michigan, and I am certain their
continued presence in the state will help drive our state back to
economic excellence," Governor Granholm added.
"Since I came to the Senate, providing health
coverage for the uninsured has been one of my top priorities. Today,
there are 43 million uninsured in the United States, including nearly
one million in Michigan," said U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). "I
applaud the actions that Pfizer has taken today to provide the uninsured
with better access to the medicines they need through lower prices.
While it's not a cure all, it is a positive action that will help many.
I urge other health care providers to provide similar benefits for
America's uninsured."
"For many months, Governor Granholm has worked
within the parameters outlined by the federal government to lower
prescription drug costs for all of our citizens. The fruits of her
labor have been critical as Michigan pioneered the nation's first
multi-state prescription drug pool earlier this year. At the same time,
she has had hours of high level discussions with pharmaceutical
manufacturers, chief among them Hank McKinnell, Pfizer's Chairman of the
Board and Chief Executive Officer," said Janet Olszewski, Director of
the Michigan Department of Community Health. "These actions taken by
Pfizer today serve as a concrete example of the good that can occur when
government and business work together and partner to create solutions
that ultimately benefit our society."
In addition to the unemployed, the uninsured
include two-income families, single parents, the self-employed, new
college graduates and low-wage workers. Eighty percent are working
families, over 50 percent are ethnic minorities, and half of all
uninsured children do not see a doctor.
In addition, almost half of the uninsured
population postpones seeking care because of cost. They forego
preventive care, such as mammograms and screening for prostate and
cervical cancers, and are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage
cancers where treatment can be more expensive and outcomes less
favorable. Nearly 40 percent report not being able to afford the
medicines prescribed for them, and about 20 percent rely on hospital
emergency rooms for their main source of medical care.
Caring for the uninsured imposes an enormous
financial burden on America's health care system. Uninsured Americans
received approximately $35 billion in uncompensated care in 2001, and
the number of uninsured has risen by two million since 2001.
"All segments of society must work together on many
fronts to help Americans who are uninsured or underinsured," Health and
Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "I commend Pfizer for
helping families get access to the life-saving and life-enhancing drugs
they need."
"As a nation, it is imperative that we address the
human and financial cost of disease among America's uninsured," said
Karen Katen, president of Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals. "By helping
all Americans, regardless of age or income, get access to safe and
affordable Pfizer medicines, we can make a meaningful difference in
their health and at the same time address the skyrocketing costs of
acute care. Early and effective treatment, including the use of
medicines, is always better than an emergency room visit for both the
patient and the health care system.
"We also recognize that many low-income Americans
need access to our medicines at no cost. That's why today we are
expanding our assistance programs, including Connection to Care, Sharing
the Care and the Hospital Partnership Program, so that they can get more
help. Last year, Pfizer provided 6.6 million prescriptions to more than
1.5 million people in America free or at minimal cost. Now we expect
that number to increase substantially."
Key elements of the new Pfizer initiative, "Helpful
Answers," include:
-- Substantial savings on Pfizer medicines for
America's uninsured,
regardless of age or income, through "Pfizer
Pfriends."
-- Families making less than $45,000 per year
(less than $31,000 for
individuals) will receive average savings of
37 percent, and up to
50 percent off the average cash price at
retail pharmacies for most
Pfizer medicines.
-- Families making more than $45,000 per year
(more than $31,000 for
individuals) will receive average savings of
15 percent, and up to
25 percent off the average cash price at
retail pharmacies for most
Pfizer medicines.
-- Expanded eligibility for existing Pfizer
programs that provide free
medicines.
-- Connection to Care(TM): Families making less
than $31,000 per year
(less than $19,000 for individuals) can
receive free Pfizer
medicines from their physicians' offices.
-- Sharing the Care(TM) and Hospital Partnership
Program(TM): Families
making less than $31,000 (less than $19,000
for individuals) can
receive free Pfizer medicines from eligible
federally qualified
community health centers and hospitals.
-- Extending Pfizer's $15 flat fee for qualified
Medicare beneficiaries.
-- Low-income Medicare beneficiaries on all
Medicare-approved drug
discount cards will have access to many
Pfizer medicines for a flat
fee of $15 per prescription after they have
exhausted the $600
credit. (Adjustments to income eligibility
may be made at
participating community health centers and
hospitals based on family
size.)
-- Creation of a consumer friendly, single entry
point navigation
component for all uninsured patients
-- In August, Pfizer will launch a website and a
single toll free
number with live operators to help people
without insurance, or
their caregivers, find the program that best
meets their need.
-- The website and the 1-800 number will inform
patients of both public
and Pfizer programs.
"For those without health insurance, Pfizer wants
to reduce the cost of disease by making our effective prescription
medicines accessible and affordable," said David Canter, head of Pfizer
Global Research and Development's Michigan Laboratories.
Pat Kelly, president of U.S. Pharmaceuticals, said
these initiatives, taken together, can make an immediate difference in
the health of millions of Americans.
"Providing the uninsured safe, secure, affordable
access to prescription drugs has profound human and financial benefits,"
Kelly said. "For example, with medicines, a patient with hypertension
and high cholesterol can better manage his disease, decreasing the
chance of incurring expensive hospital stays and lost time at work.
Access to prescription medicines is a critical link to preventing
detrimental health outcomes."
With today's announcement, a working father earning
$41,000 a year who now pays $79.58 a month for Pfizer's
cholesterol-lowering medicine Lipitor (10 milligrams) at his local
pharmacy will see his monthly cost drop to about $52.71, a savings of
almost 34 percent. For Zoloft (100 milligrams), the cost will be $58.62
a month, a savings of 38 percent for those below 300 percent of the
federal poverty level.
Kelly added that in August, Pfizer will launch its
outreach to uninsured Americans, called "Pfizer Pfriends," through a
live call center and website that will help guide the uninsured to the
best Pfizer or government program for them. "We are committed to an
information and enrollment process that is streamlined and efficient, so
that we simplify the often daunting process of asking for help," he
said.
Pfizer's "Helpful Answers" is already supported by
over 45 leading medical, civic and patient groups such as the National
Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the
League of United Latin American citizens.
"The patients we serve are comprised of
predominantly African Americans, who are disproportionately uninsured
and cannot afford the medicines their illness requires," said Winston
Price, MD, President-elect of the National Medical Association.
"Pfizer's program allows patients who don't have health insurance to
have access to the medicines they desperately need."
"For women in business, and women business owners,
providing coverage for the uninsured is a business issue, an employee
issue, a health care issue and a women's health issue," said Terry Neese,
Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive of Women Impacting Public
Policy, which represents 500,000 businesswomen and women business
owners. "Thank goodness Pfizer has stepped up to the plate on this
issue and hopefully other corporations will do the same."
Dr. McKinnell concluded, "We hope that our partners
in healthcare, from doctors to hospitals and other pharmaceutical
companies, also will find new ways to help those Americans left without
health insurance." |
