Dispensary of Hope partners with big pharma, state

Prescription Assistance Program to increase Rx access

Email | Print By Erin Lawley

The Dispensary of Hope is partnering with the state and pharmaceutical manufacturers Novartis, Merck and AstraZeneca to launch a prescription assistance program for Tennesseans.

The Dispensary, a nonprofit social venture under the Saint Thomas Health Services umbrella, currently collects prescription medication samples from participating physicians and dispenses them to poor and uninsured patients via free clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers and community pharmacies.

Through the new Continued Access Program, Novartis, Merck and AstraZeneca will send shipments of drugs directly to The Dispensary. Qualifying individuals will pay a small fee to enroll in the program and receive their medications through a Dispensary site.

Details of the PAP program will be announced Wednesday at the Dispensary’s MetroCenter headquarters. Tennessee Commissioner of Health Susan Cooper and leaders of the pharmaceutical companies will be participating.

Novartis, Merck and AstraZeneca had a total of $97 billion in sales last year. Their well-known drug brands include Nexium, Crestor, Diovan, Exforge, Fosamax and Gardasil.

The Dispensary, launched in 2003, provides more than 100,000 prescriptions per year through 45 sites in nine states.

In an October interview with NashvillePost.com, Dispensary CEO Jason Dinger said the organization is adding four to six new sites per month and has a waiting list of more than 125 locations.