Lilly Helps Thousands of Needy Hoosier Seniors with Cost of Medications
26 October 2004 - 12:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Lilly Helps Thousands of Needy Hoosier Seniors with Cost of
Medications Lilly invests in providing information, safe access to
medicines for Hoosier seniors INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 25
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Thousands of Hoosier Medicare enrollees
receive help with the cost of prescription drugs every month when
they fill or refill prescriptions at Indiana pharmacies through the
LillyAnswers(R) prescription drug assistance program. Through the
program, Lilly has provided $4.9 million worth of needed
prescription medications to members through September 2004.
LillyAnswers, for low-income Medicare recipients, has enrolled
15,454 Hoosier members since Eli Lilly and Company introduced the
program in 2002. Nationwide, more than 1 million prescriptions have
been filled through the program. The LillyAnswers prescription drug
card allows needy Medicare- enrolled seniors and people with
disabilities under Medicare to pay a flat $12 administrative fee
for a 30-day supply of many Lilly drugs -- such as Evista(R),
Humalog(R) and Prozac(R). Prescription assistance also is available
for those Hoosiers not taking Lilly medicines. PhRMA, a trade
association consisting of several pharmaceutical manufacturers
including Lilly, sponsors a Web site that details many of the
various pharmaceutical patient assistance programs available at
http://www.helpingpatients.org/ . In 2003, over 6.2 million
patients received 18.2 million prescriptions -- at a value of $3.4
billion. "We're encouraged to see how many Hoosiers have taken
advantage of LillyAnswers; however, statistics show that thousands
more are likely eligible for this terrific program. Therefore, it
is more important than ever that we provide clear, concise and
helpful information directly to those who may be able to benefit,"
said Lilly executive vice president Gino Santini. "Another aspect
of the LillyAnswers program is that an individual's prescription is
filled at the pharmacy of his or her choice, here in the U.S. This
gives seniors the added peace of mind knowing that their medicines
are safe. They can talk to their local pharmacist about how they
should take their medicines as well as possible interactions with
other medicines they might be using." Here in Indiana, Lilly has
taken the additional step of talking directly to seniors at
retirement centers, churches, health fairs, and in other forums
about these pharmaceutical assistance programs. Specifically, Lilly
volunteers have provided outreach efforts, including: * Over 100
Lilly retirees and employees have volunteered to travel to
communities across Indiana to inform seniors about the LillyAnswers
program, Hoosier Rx, and other pharmaceutical assistance programs,
and to provide them with the application forms onsite. * Over
60,000 application forms and brochures for LillyAnswers and for the
Hoosier Rx program have been provided to seniors in Indiana through
the Lilly outreach volunteer efforts. * Lilly retirees and
employees have volunteered over 480 hours since April of 2004 to
help inform Hoosier seniors and others about these pharmaceutical
assistance programs. * Lilly has invested more than $100,000 in
Indiana alone to help connect seniors with patient assistance
programs. Over the past several weeks, Lilly retiree and employee
volunteers have been to several Indiana communities, including
Franklin, Kokomo, Fort Wayne, Rising Sun, Anderson, Richmond,
Lafayette and Columbus. Lilly also plans to send its volunteers to
retirement communities and senior centers in Gary, LaPorte,
Jeffersonville, Evansville, Muncie and other communities in the
next several weeks. "This proactive outreach effort provides our
volunteers with the golden opportunity to chat directly with
seniors and to provide them with that extra helping hand they need
with the cost of their medicines," said Julie Newland, Lilly
manager of public affairs for Indiana. "We want our Hoosier seniors
to know that these programs are there to help them, and that
enrollment is easy. Most importantly, we want to be sure that
Hoosier seniors are not risking their health by buying their
medicines over the Internet from dubious sources -- especially when
those medicines could be counterfeit. It is just not worth the risk
when these other pharmaceutical assistance programs are available
and easily accessible." "There are so many human stories behind the
LillyAnswers statistics. It is very satisfying that the program is
making such a positive difference in many lives," said Santini.
"And I am especially proud of our Lilly volunteers, who will enable
us to continue to reach out with our LillyAnswers program." In
addition to LillyAnswers, Lilly provides several other specialized
free products and treatment support programs on certain
medications. Lilly also offers a free products program to eligible
individuals through the Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards. In
January 2004, Lilly became the first pharmaceutical company to
publicly offer to integrate a patient assistance program into the
cards. Information for LillyAnswers is provided at 1-877-RX-LILLY
(1-877-795-4559) or http://www.lillyanswers.com/ . A LillyAnswers
media kit is available at http://www.lillymedia.com/ . About Lilly
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a
growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class
pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its
own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent
scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind.,
Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for
some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional
information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com/ .
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO )
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO DATASOURCE:
Eli Lilly and Company CONTACT: Janice Chavers, +1-317-651-6253, or
Anne Griffin, +1-317-276-3254, both of Lilly
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