Free Prescription Medications: Where and How to Get Them »

A step-by-step guide to 168 assistance programs that offer more than a thousand prescription medicines for free or at a low cost to those who qualify. Each drug company program has its own listing that includes everything you need to know in order to apply for free (or almost free) medications.

All of these programs require that you have no insurance that provides prescription coverage and you are not eligible for Medicaid. These programs have income guidelines, but only 13 of them require your income to be less than $715 per month for a single person. Most of the programs allow a monthly income between $1,079 and $3,210 for single persons.

Library Journal

The pharmaceutical industry is often criticized for being too concerned about profits. Yet most drug companies have financial assistance programs that help patients buy prescription medication if they meet certain eligibility criteria. The author, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, lost his health insurance coverage in 1999. After finding one drug manufacturer that had such a program, he figured that there must be others and went on to compile this valuable book, which identifies 168 similar programs. Each listing gives the name, address, and phone number of the company involved along with the qualifications for assistance and clear instructions on how to enroll in the program. Other program details include the medications covered, the amount of medication a person can receive, how long drug delivery takes, and the number of refills allowed. Users can look up the programs either by the drug manufacturer's name or the medication's brand name. Aside from manufacturers' web sites (which would have been useful to include), this reviewer knows of no other place where this information can be found. Highly recommended for all public and medical libraries. Natalie Kupferberg, Biological Sciences/Pharmacy Lib., Ohio State Univ., Columbus Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.