12 years of the Partnership of Prescription Assistance

Today, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) is celebrating 12 years of helping connect patients who struggle with affordable access to the medicines they need. Because PPA serves as a clearinghouse for more than 475 patient assistance programs (including nearly 200 offered by biopharmaceutical companies), it has served and will continue to to do as a necessary bridge for those who need a helping hand.

After more than a decade  of evolution in the health care system, PPA is more important than ever. Patient assistance programs serve both uninsured people and people whose insurance coverage doesn’t cover their medicines. When patients fall through the cracks, PPA is there to help.

Earlier this year, the program reached an important milestone by helping more than 10 million patients since 2005. And the program continues to grow, with patient programs being updated frequently, offering access to more than 2,500 brand-name and generic prescription medicines.

The patient assistance programs sponsored by America’s biopharmaceutical research companies are one option to help patients maintain access to needed medicines. PhRMA member companies invest heavily in the discovery of innovative medicines to continue helping patients live longer, healthier lives. But what is a medicine unless a patient can access it or continue their treatment?

In order to provide patients with as many resources as possible, the PPA website has information patients can access for free. Today, more than 75,000 people a month visit the easy-to-use site to find patient assistance programs and additional resources as well as explore a database of nearly 10,000 free or low-cost health care clinics across the country.

Amidst a changing access landscape, PPA and the programs to which it connects patients is becoming an increasingly important platform by which to educate and empower patients and caregivers to obtain information about their prescription assistance options. The first 12 years were just the start, and we hope to help millions more in the years to come.

Keep up with us by reading the PPA blog, viewing our “How to Use PPA” video on YouTube, and following us on Facebook and Twitter.