AstraZeneca Expands AZ&Me Prescription Savings Program

During these difficult economic times, any type of savings program is appreciated. AstraZeneca is expanding its prescription savings program by extending assistance to qualifying patients who have recently lost their jobs, had their incomes reduced, or experienced a change in marital status or family size.

"AstraZeneca is committed to helping patients get the medicines they need," said Rich Fante, US President, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP. "Our responsibility goes beyond developing medicines to also making them available to those who cannot afford them."

Here are the details of the AZ&Me(TM) Prescription Savings programs:

• AZ&Me(TM) Prescription Savings program for people without insurance: AstraZeneca provides AstraZeneca medicines at no cost to qualifying individuals without prescription drug coverage who make up to $30,000 per year and families of four who make up to $60,000 per year.
• AZ&Me(TM) Prescription Savings program for people with Medicare Part D: AstraZeneca provides low-cost AstraZeneca medicines for qualifying Medicare Part D patients who make up to $30,000 per year or couples who make up to $40,000 per year.
• AZ&Me(TM) Prescription Savings program for healthcare facilities: AstraZeneca provides AstraZeneca medicines at no cost to qualifying non-profit healthcare facilities, such as disproportionate share hospitals, community health centers and community free clinics. This program connects patients to the AstraZeneca medicines they need at the same time and place they receive their treatment.

Patients can learn more about the AZ&Me(TM) Prescription Savings program at www.azandme.com or by calling 1-800-AZandMe.

Healthcare reform and jobs

How will healthcare reform initiatives impact the job market in the United States? I think many people are anticipating a boom in the health information technology (health IT) sector. That's to be expected, considering how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) focuses tremendously on the role of health IT (or HITECH) in healthcare reform. Will healthcare reform boost employment? Improved health should raise productivity. What about the "pay-or-play" mandate on employers? They must either offer benefits or pay a fine.

There are some other perspectives to consider when we think about healthcare reform. Catherine Arnst writes in BusinessWeek about how healthcare reform may spur employment. She cites MIT economist Jonathan Gruber (an MIT alum who also studied at Harvard, but we won't hold that against him) for the Small Business Majority. Professor Gruber estimtaes that if reform doesn't occur and small businesses are spending over $2 trillion on healthcare over the next decade, then this may lead to a loss of 178,000 jobs in 2018.

Do People Still Use the CORE Diabetes Model?

The CORE (Center for Outcomes Research) Diabetes Model is an Internet-based, interactive computer model that determines the long-term health outcomes and economic consequences of implementing different treatment policies or interventions in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This model is based on other sub-models that simulate medical complications related to diabetes, such as: cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, hypoglycaemia, nephropathy, neuropathy, foot ulcers, amputation, stroke, ketoacidosis, lactic acidosis and ultimately mortality. The model was introduced several years ago (I believe in 2004 by researchers in Switzerland) and has been used by some to support clinical and reimbursement decision-making. In the world of pharmacoeconomics, these types of models can be invaluable, as long as they are valid and reliable.

The CORE Diabetes Model has been validated against epidemiological and clinical studies. It provides an accurate representation of patient outcomes when compared to 66 studies of diabetes and its complications. Furthermore, its flexibility ensures that it can be used to compare diabetes management strategies across a variety of clinical settings.

In 2006, a new model emerged. The Economic Assessment of Glycemic Control and Long-Term Effects of diabetes (EAGLE) model was developed by researchers in Germany. Are we making the most out of these resources? I don't hear too many people talking about the use of computer-based modeling to reform healthcare. Do we really understand the pharmacoeconomics behind various diabetes therapies? Technology advocates know that these types of health economics models can be very useful in predicting long-term outcomes and economic consequences. My hope is that more companies will develop, validate, and implement such models for other chronic conditions as we prepare to make significant changes to our nation's healthcare system. Image source: Wellsphere