Many pharmaceutical companies in response to the growing cost of medicine now sponsor patient assistance programs. These programs are helping patients who qualify receive medication free of charge. Qualifications vary from company to company, but most are based on income and lack of outpatient prescription coverage. Age is not a factor in order to qualify.

Each pharmaceutical company will have it's own eligibility requirements. Income and lack of prescription drug coverage is normally the most important criteria for determining whether someone can enroll. The patient also must not qualify for any third party coverage, such as a state or federal program that would cover the cost of their medicine. 

Individual's income criteria vary with family incomes ranging from bellow the poverty level to up to $ 60,000. These are for medications that are used to treat things such as Multiple Sclerosis, Aids, Cancer, or other rare disorders. Medications for these specific illnesses are extremely expensive and are therefore subject to different guidelines by the companies that manufacture them.

Other factors such as number of people in the household and total medical cost may also be considered.

Normally only brand name products have programs. This is because they are more expensive and have no generic available on the market. Once they go off patent and the patient can now buy it for a fraction of the brand name cost, the company that manufactures the brand name has no reason to make it available for free.

The majority of the companies have applications that must be completed and signed by both the applicant and the doctor. The patient fills out their general information (they may be asked to include verification of income and lack of prescription coverage). It is then given to the doctor's office to be finished and signed. The physician's office will include either specific prescription information or an actual prescription to be sent along with the application to the program address. It is either mailed or faxed according to that programs instruction.

A few companies are helping patients by allowing enrollment by the doctor's office over the phone. These cases will include specific information on procedure and patient information to have on hand when calling. 

The time will vary with each company. It can be anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks. If the actual mail date of the application is longer than this, then the company should be contacted by the physician's office to make sure that everything was completed as instructed. 

Depending on the pharmaceutical company, and the type of medication, it will either be sent to the physician's office, or directly to the patient's house. Some may send a voucher that is taken to your local pharmacy and redeemed. Specific information on how it is dispensed should be on the application. 

If applying for more than one medication, the applicant should be aware that they would arrive at different times, since it is manufactured and sponsored by different companies. Normally a three-month supply is sent each time.

Most companies are helping patients by allowing for refills. Some have limits of only a three- month supply, while others allow the patient to apply indefinitely. Some have applications that are only renewed once a year, while others require a new one every three months. Refills are not sent automatically. The initial application needs to be read thoroughly and refill request sent with processing time allowed.