PhRMA's Rx aid program has helped 5.7 million

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, sponsored by America's pharmaceutical research companies via the Pharmaceutical Research and  Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), has helped more than 5.7 million US  citizens get access to information about programs that provide drugs for  free or at a low cost, in its first four years of operation. The PPA's  promotional bus tour, the Help is Here Express, with television  presenter Montel Williams, has visited all 50 US states and more than  2,500 cities since 2005.

Billy Tauzin, the PhRMA's president, said that, "at a time when national  unemployment is the highest in almost two decades, the PPA has become an  important lifeline for a growing number of patients."

There are more than 475 patient assistance programs, including nearly  200 offered by drugmakers, which the PPA can provide information about  to potential users. People who qualify for help from the PPA's  participating patient assistance programs have access to more than  2,500 brand name and generic prescription medicines. In addition, the  PPA provides details of more than 10,000 free health care clinics in  America and has connected more than 277,000 people with local health  care.