Good PR for Pharma

By: Katie Lapins, CIS Director of Small and Mid-Market Pharma
katielapins@cis-partners.com

Two announcements over the last week have contributed to a bit of positive public relations for the pharmaceutical industry.

The first announcement came from Pfizer; the company announced that it has developed a program called “MAINTAIN” (Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need) to provide Pfizer drugs to Americans who have lost their jobs since January. Highlights of the program include:

• The program was initiated by employees who saw family members, friends and neighbors losing their jobs.
• Participants must have been taking Pfizer medications for at least 3 months prior to their unemployment.
• There is no prior income restriction.
• The benefit can last for up to 12 months.

The second announcement came this weekend from Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) that the industry has agreed to spend $80 billion towards Medicare Part D over the next 10 years to help defray the cost of President Obama's health care reform. With Medicare Part D, there is a gap in the coverage, often referred to as the “doughnut hole,” where participants must pay for the entire cost of their medications. With the new proposal, drug companies would pay half of the cost of brand-name drugs for seniors who are in the doughnut hole phase.

Health care reform has taken a bit of a back-seat to other issues over the last few months, but the general consensus remains that Americans can see significant changes to the health care system in the near future. I think both of these announcements are indicators that change is on the horizon, and the pharma industry is already adapting to the anticipated environment.

More information on both announcements can be found at:
http://www.pfizer.com/news/press_releases/pfizer_press_releases.jsp?rssUrl=http://mediaroom.pfizer.com/portal/site/pfizer/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&ndmConfigId=1016273&newsId=20090514005582&newsLang=en

http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_health_overhaul.html

Specific information on Pfizer’s MAINTAIN program can be found at:
http://media.pfizer.com/files/pfizer_maintain_fact_sheet_051409.pdf