FAQ

PhRMA’s America's Medicines is a search engine designed for American patients, caregivers, providers and businesses to simplify their access to manufacturer direct purchase programs and patient support resources. America’s Medicines is not its own direct purchase program or patient support program, but rather a search engine for many of the resources that the biopharmaceutical industry offers.

America’s Medicines is a search engine that contains information on public and private patient support programs and direct purchase programs that can help you access prescription medicines you need. To use America’s Medicines, visit the homepage and enter any medications you need help accessing, enter your information (i.e., age, location, income, insurance coverage and household size) and America's Medicines will produce search results that identify programs and resources that might be able to help you.

Health care providers play a crucial role in spreading the word that patients in need may be eligible for various forms of assistance in obtaining their medications, including some free or nearly free options. Physicians, nurses and other health care providers can also go to www.americasmedicines.com to get information on available patient support programs, cost-sharing programs and other helpful resources for the patients under their care. Additionally, many of the patient support programs and direct purchase programs require physicians to sign and fill out portions of program enrollment forms, including adding patient prescription information. Some programs also require the physician to mail or fax the enrollment form on behalf of the patient.

Each program identified in America’s Medicines has its own enrollment and renewal requirements. Some patient support programs require you to re-apply every year. When America’s Medicines identifies programs based on criteria provided by the user, the user can typically find its specific requirements on the program’s web page or application form. Some programs require you to call them to get program details.

No. America’s Medicines helps you find programs and resources you may be eligible for but does not process the enrollment applications for those programs. A program’s enrollment application typically provides directions on where it should be emailed, faxed or mailed.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) created the America's Medicines website to provide a dedicated search engine to simplify access to direct purchase programs and patient support resources. America’s Medicines is not its own direct purchase program or patient support program, but rather a search engine for many of the resources that the biopharmaceutical industry offers. Learn more about America's Medicines and its partners at Who We Are.

Manufacturers help patients afford their medicines in a variety of ways, including cost-sharing assistance, which helps lower out-of-pocket costs through commercial insurance, and patient support programs, which provide lower cost or free medicines to patients who cannot afford their medicines or whose health plans do not cover their medicines.

Direct purchase programs (DPPs) - also known as direct-to-consumer or direct-to-patient offerings - allow patients, caregivers and businesses to buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers at a transparent price. Each direct purchase program is unique as manufacturers decide on their own if and how to offer them.

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America’s Medicines is not currently hiring.

America’s Medicine is a resource to identify potential prescription support programs and other forms of prescription support options for those in need, but we do not offer prescription assistance or benefits cards ourselves. Please contact the specific prescription support or benefit card program regarding program information and expiration dates.

America's Medicines does not mail program information. However, program information and enrollment forms for many programs can be downloaded directly from the America’s Medicines site and printed for your convenience.

Each support program has its own eligibility criteria. Some are specifically for those who are uninsured or underinsured (lacking adequate coverage with the insurance they currently have). Some require commercial insurance coverage. Others exclude those who are eligible for government sponsored programs or allow them under certain circumstances. To see what programs you might be eligible for, visit the homepage to enter any medications you need help accessing, enter your qualifying information (i.e., age, location, income, insurance coverage and household size) and America’s Medicines will produce search results that identify programs and resources that might be able to help you.

Each program has its own eligibility criteria. Please consult the program’s terms and conditions for more information.

The programs and services in the America's Medicines database are generally only available to those living in the United States. Each program has its own eligibility criteria. Please consult the program’s terms and conditions for more information.

Each program has its own eligibility criteria. Many patient support programs only accept patients who are uninsured or underinsured (lacking adequate coverage with the insurance they currently have). Some allow other drug coverage, but will only help with expenses not paid for by your other coverage. Please consult the program’s terms and conditions for more information.

Eligibility criteria vary from program to program and may even vary by medicines within a program. Eligibility most commonly depends on factors related to your income, prescription medicines, resident state, age and current prescription drug coverage. Please consult the program’s terms and conditions for more information.

Each program has its own eligibility criteria. Please consult the program’s terms and conditions for more information.

If you have trouble opening an enrollment application from the America’s Medicines website, try visiting the program provider’s website to view it there. If you still have problems opening an enrollment application, contact the program provider directly for help.

America’s Medicines does not handle or process applications. Contact the program’s provider to inquire about the status of an application.

America’s Medicines is a free service. We will never ask for credit card or other payment information. If someone says they represent America’s Medicines and asks for credit card information, requests payment or otherwise attempts to sell you a service, they may be operating a scam.

America's Medicines does not accept, review or evaluate applications. Each program provider has its own review process. If you believe you should qualify for a specific program but have been told that you are ineligible, you may contact the program provider directly.

After you have entered your qualifying information on the homepage page, click the “Continue” button at the bottom of the page and you will be presented with programs that match your qualifications.

Many of the program’s enrollment forms are PDF files. To open, view or print a PDF file, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free from the Adobe website.

You should be prepared to provide information about your prescribed medicines, age, state of residence, number of people in your household, yearly household income, residency status and what insurance coverage you have, if any. Please see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for information on how we collect and process your personal information.

Since America's Medicines is an information resource only and only identifies programs that you may qualify for, you will need to contact the programs directly with specific questions about availability.

Unfortunately, if you do not find your medication on our list, then we do not have program information for it at this time. Please continue to check back for new program information. If you know of a program we should list on our site, please contact us.

Decisions about which medicines are included in patient support programs are made by the participating biopharmaceutical companies that sponsor the programs. When you enter your prescribed medicines and qualifying information on the homepage, you can find out if they are included in any programs offered by participating biopharmaceutical companies.

Many of America’s biopharmaceutical research companies have programs to help patients better access their medicines. Visit Who We Are for more information.

No. America's Medicines’ role is to help connect patients to existing patient assistance resources. The best way to find out about a specific drug is to consult with your doctor or pharmacist.

Each organization has its own process . Contact the program providers for more details on the delivery of your medicine.

Direct purchase programs (DPPs) allow patients, caregivers and businesses to buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers at a transparent price. Each direct purchase program is unique as manufacturers decide on their own if and how to offer them. Direct purchase programs may also be referred to as direct-to-patient or direct-to-consumer programs.

How DPPs interact with insurance will be dependent on individual manufacturer programs, insurance benefit design and government regulations.

DPPs are designed to provide you with options to access your medicines. Right now, certain laws and regulations may limit the use of manufacturer-sponsored cost-sharing assistance to patients who are commercially insured. Patients with commercial insurance generally cannot take advantage of cost-sharing assistance when paying fully out-of-pocket for DPP medicines, and manufacturer-sponsored cost-sharing assistance is typically not available to patients enrolled in a federal health program regardless of how they are accessing their medicines.

How DPPs interact with Medicare and Medicaid will depend on individual manufacturer programs, a patient’s unique circumstances, and government regulations.

You will need a valid prescription from your provider. Under current programs, your provider may send prescriptions directly to the DPP or patients may request this option.