"The Together Rx Access
Card will make life-saving and life-enhancing prescription
medicines more affordable for millions of uninsured patients," said
Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. "Solving the complex issue of
helping the uninsured in this country gain access to healthcare must
take a united
effort by all sectors of society, and I commend these companies for
stepping forward to be part of the solution. The Together Rx Access Card
is a common-sense, pragmatic way to give the uninsured
access to prescription medicines."
The Together Rx Access, L.L.C. includes Abbott, AstraZeneca,
Bristol-Myers Squibb,
GlaxoSmithKline, members of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies1,
Novartis, Pfizer, sanofi-aventis Group2, Takeda, and TAP Pharmaceutical
Products Inc. Together Rx Access, L.L.C. was created to help uninsured
Americans gain broad access to and meaningful savings on prescription
products. Together, the participating companies offer savings on more
than 275 brandname prescription products. These products include those
used to treat diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, cancer, allergy,
asthma, arthritis, and depression, which are among the most common
conditions affecting Americans. Eligible uninsured individuals can
expect to save approximately 25-40 percent, and sometimes more3,
on the prescription products directly from the manufacturers, as wellas
on a wide range of generic products.
Together Rx Access also can help direct
individuals to various additional resources for help on obtaining
coverage or products.
“The companies in Together Rx Access have stepped forward to offer
substantial relief for
the serious national problem of the uninsured,” said Roba Whiteley,
executive director of Together Rx Access. “The goal of the Together Rx
Access Card is to help the millions of Americans without prescription
drug coverage gain access to the prescription products they need. It
will also help them take care of what's most important – their health.
We believe that the Together Rx Access Card will make a real
difference.”
The benefits of the Together Rx Access Card extend to 80 percent of the
45 million
Americans – including more than eight million children – who are
uninsured and don’t have prescription drug coverage. Approximately eight
out of 10 Americans without healthcare coverage are in families that are
actively employed, working at full-time jobs or a series of part-time
jobs that
do not offer health insurance.4 About one-third of Hispanics are
uninsured, a rate three times higherthan for non-Hispanic whites.5
“The strengths of the Together Rx Access Card will not be savings
alone,” said Ms.
Whiteley. “The breadth of choice that we are able to offer patients and
their physicians helps tobring them the best of healthcare.”
Broad Eligibility
To qualify for the Together Rx Access Card, applicants must be legal
U.S. residents, not be eligible for Medicare, without public or private
prescription drug coverage and with incomes of up to $30,000 for a
single person or $60,000 for a family of four (income eligibility is
adjusted for family size).6
In addition to participating in Together Rx Access, each of the 10
participating companies independently offers Patient Assistance Programs
(PAPs). People applying to enroll for Together Rx Access will be
automatically notified if they may be eligible for further savings – and
in some cases
free medicines – through these PAPs.
Safeguarding the Health of Working Americans and their Families
For families who lack healthcare insurance, including prescription drug
coverage, the
consequences for their youngest members can be serious. Uninsured
children are three times less likely than insured children to get a
prescription they need7, and 70 percent more likely to go
untreated for common illnesses such as asthma, ear infections, and sore
throats, according to a national study.8
“Together Rx Access companies have applied the experience gained through
the successful implementation of the Together Rx prescription savings
program for low-income Medicare beneficiaries to create an initiative to
reach a broad cross-section of America’s uninsured,” Ms. Whiteley noted.
Large Network of Participating Pharmacies
Pharmacies nationwide have shown strong support for the Together Rx
Access Card.
The Together Rx Access Card savings will be
available at the majority of pharmacies nationwide and inPuerto Rico by
mid-February 2005.
How to Enroll
Those who qualify can enroll immediately in the Together Rx Access Card
program free of
charge by calling 1-800-444-4106 or visiting www.TogetherRxAccess.com.
The Together Rx Access Card will be effective mid-February, 2005.
Enrollment forms and information also will be available through
participating pharmacies and in physicians’ offices.
About Together Rx Access™, L.L.C.
In introducing the Together Rx Access Card, the companies in Together Rx
Access,
L.L.C., are applying the experience that the Together Rx, L.L.C.
companies gained in creatingthe successful Together Rx Card, which has
enrolled nearly 1.5 million cardholders. Since its introduction in 2002,
the Together Rx Card has helped seniors save more than $700 million on
prescription drugs. With the advent of the Medicare Prescription Drug
Benefit, Together Rx Access now has the opportunity to provide
uninsured, non-senior Americans with significantpharmaceutical savings.
The Together Rx Access companies encourage other pharmaceutical
companies to join them in this unprecedented initiative. The companies
include:
Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the
discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and
medical products, including nutritionals, devices
and diagnostics. The company employs more than 55,000 people and markets
its products in more than 130 countries. For more information, please
visit www.abbott.com.
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the
research, development,
manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply
of healthcare services. It is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical
companies with healthcare sales of over $18.8 billion
and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology,
cardiovascular, neuroscience and respiratory products. In the United
States, AstraZeneca is an $8.7 billion healthcare business with
more than 11,000 employees. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. For more
information, please visit
www.astrazeneca.com.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global pharmaceutical and related health care
products company whose
mission is to extend and enhance human life. For more information,
please visit www.bms.com.
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s leading research-based
pharmaceutical and healthcare
companies, is committed to improving the quality of human life by
enabling people to do more, feel
better, and live longer. For more information, please visit
www.gsk.com.
Members of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Johnson & Johnson,
with approximately 109,100 employees, is the world's most comprehensive
and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a
provider of related services
for the consumer, pharmaceutical, and medical devices and diagnostics
markets. Johnson & Johnson has more than 200 operating companies,
including Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.,
and Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, L.P. Its operating companies are in
57 countries, selling products throughout the world. Additional
information about Johnson & Johnson is available at
www.jnj.com.
Janssen Pharmaceutica
Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, L.P. has a long track record in
developing and marketing treatments for central nervous system
disorders. Based in Titusville, N.J., its other specialty areas include
pain management, treatment of fungal infections and therapy for
gastrointestinal conditions. More information on the company can be
found at www.janssen.com.
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. markets prescription drugs in the
areas of women’s
health, infectious disease, epilepsy, central nervous system, pain
treatment, urology and
migraine. For more information, visit
www.ortho-mcneil.com.
Novartis
Novartis AG is a world leader in pharmaceuticals and consumer health. In
2003, the Group's businesses achieved sales of USD 24.9 billion and a
net income of USD 5.0 billion. The Group invested approximately USD 3.8
billion in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group
companies employ about 80,000 people and operate in over 140 countries
around the world.
For further information please consult
www.novartis.com.
Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. is a research-based pharmaceutical company that discovers,
develops, manufacturers and
markets innovative medicines for humans and animals. For over 30 years,
Pfizer has been committed to providing patients in need with simple and
convenient access to prescription medicines through a
variety of Pfizer programs. Additional information about Pfizer is
available online at
www.pfizer.com. Information about access to our medicines is available
through our Pfizer Helpful Answers website,
www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com.
sanofi-aventis Group
The sanofi-aventis Group is the world’s third-largest pharmaceutical
company, ranking number one in Europe. Backed by a world-class R&D
organization, the sanofi-aventis Group is developing leading positions
in seven major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, thrombosis,
oncology, diabetes, central nervous system, internal medicine, and
vaccines. For more information, please visit
www.sanofi-aventis.com.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.
Based in Lincolnshire, Ill., Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited,
the largest pharmaceutical company in
Japan. In the United States, Takeda currently markets oral diabetes and
cholesterol lowering treatments, and through the Takeda Global Research
& Development Center, Inc. the company has a
robust pipeline with compounds in development for diabetes, sleep,
cardiovascular disease and other
conditions. Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for
individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior
pharmaceutical products. To learn more about the company and its
products, visit www.tpna.com.
TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc.
TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., located in Lake Forest, Ill., is a
joint venture between Abbott, headquartered in Abbott Park, Ill., and
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, of Osaka, Japan. TAP markets
Prevacid® (lansoprazole) and Lupron Depot® (leuprolide acetate for depot
suspension). For more information about TAP Pharmaceutical Products
Inc., and its products, visit the company's
Web site at www.tap.com.
About ICT
ICT Group, Inc. is a leading global provider of customer management and
business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions, will serve as the Program
Administrator for the new Together Rx Access program. Under the terms of
the agreement, ICT Group will provide customer service, data
capture/management, claims processing, Web and e-mail management and
member
enrollment/fulfillment services, in support of the Together Rx Access
initiative. ICT Group will be partnering with Argus Health Systems,
Inc., for claims processing support and Rapid Solutions Group™ to
provide fulfillment services. ICT Group, headquartered in Newtown, Pa.,
provides a comprehensive mix of customer
care/retention, acquisition, up-selling/cross-selling, technical
support, market research and database marketing as well as e-mail
management, co-browsing, data capture, claims processing and document
management services, using its global network of 40+ operations located
throughout North America, Europe, Australia, Barbados, Mexico and the
Philippines. ICT Group also provides
interactive voice response (IVR) and advanced speech recognition
solutions as well as hosted Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
technologies. To learn more about ICT Group, visit the
Company's website at www.ictgroup.com.
* The original Together Rx, L.L.C companies are Abbott Laboratories,
AstraZeneca, sanofi-aventis, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company,
GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies,9 and
Novartis.
Notes
1. Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies participates through
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceutica
Products L.P.
2 The sanofi-aventis Group is participating through its U.S. affiliates
Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc.
3. Savings may vary depending on the pharmacy’s customary pricing for
each specific product and the savings program offered
by the participating company that makes it. Participating companies
independently set the level of savings offered and the
products included in the program. Those decisions are subject to change.
4. Source: Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and
Proposed Solutions.
5. "Challenges Confronting Hispanic Extended Hours Employees and Their
Employers" Circadian Technologies, Inc. - September
2003
http://www.circadian.com/media/2003_press_hispanic.htm
6. Alaska: $38,000 single/$50,000 couple; Hawaii: $35,000 single/$45,000
couple. For households of three or more, call 1-
800-444-4106 for eligibility information.
7. “Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and
Proposed Solutions” Cover the Uninsured Week
8. “In Focus: Children’s Care and Coverage: Where Do We Go from Here?”
Alliance for Health Reform. October 1, 2004.
http://www.allhealth.org/.
9. Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies participates through
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceutica
Products L.P.
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