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A REVIEW ON DRUG ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES ON DRUGS

Author: Bandi Niharika

ABSTRACT

Drug assistance programs are also called as patient assistance programs(PAP). The main aim of this is to reduce the medication burden on patients who are unable to meet their needs. These drug assistance programs are provided by the pharmaceutical industries. These are like health cards which are given to people who don’t have insurance or are underinsured or people who can’t afford medication cost.

Not only healthcare professionals has their roles and responsibilities towards the treatment of the patient but also patients have their own responsibilities towards the diseased conditions and the usage of medications. Patient responsibilities on drugs play a major role in overcoming the diseased condition mainly medication adherence plays a vital role.

Keywords: Pharmaceutical industries, chronic diseases, medications, PAP, responsibilities

DRUG ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Medication plays a vital role in trating and preventing diseased conditions. Medication adherence proved to be major element in treatment.Recent studies have shown that costs of medication causes low using of appropriate medications and refilling the medications.Many chronic diseases patients having effects of heart-related problems failed to refill their prescription due to cost.

Drug Assistance Programs or Medication Assistance Programs or Patient Assistance Programs have the ability to increase drug accessibility for patients who are eligible for these programs. At present, there is limited information about its advantages over patients status. Generally, many patients who uses medicines cannot afford them. Mainly for chronic diseases which cannot be cured completely but only controlled, and prevented. For those people, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are providing the drug assistance programes.

Mrmeds is an example for that which is India’s largest super specialty pharmacy which holds the hands of those people and provides them free medication or lower the costs of medication which varies based on the programs. In general, each program has its own standards. They can register either online or offline. They should submit certain documents like tax documents, residence certificates etc, which proves that the patient is a resident of their country and their financial status. Patient assistance programs also reduce hospitalization of patients.

Examples of some pharmaceutical industries which provides Patient Assistance Programs are Merck, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Genentech, Pfizer, Sanofi, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Novartis.

In chronic diseases like diabetes hypertension, thyroid, and other heart-related and brain-related diseases it requires a longer period of time or even lifetime usage of medications. And in some diseases like AIDS, they have to use medication until their death and this medication is at a high cost. So these Patient Assistance Programs help them to overcome the medication burden.

ADVANTAGES

• It helps underinsured or noninsured patients to overcome the medication burden
• It is for all diseases
• Improves medication adherence
• Home delivery is available
• Reduce hospitalization
• Helps in chronic diseased conditions

DISADVANTAGES

• Should choose only some brands or a particular brand of medicine
• Can be given to only non-insurance patients
• Should be residents of their own place where that PAP works
• Every PAP has different guidelines
• Provides only specific medications
• Requires doctors consultation to fill out the registration form

Examples of Patient Assistance Programs are,

1. Gilead Advancing Access Program
2. GSK Patient Assistance Program
3. Healthwell Foundation
4. PAN Foundation
5. Lilly Cares Foundation Patient Assistance Program
6. Novartis Patient Assistance Foundation
7. Novo Patient Assistance Program
8. Pfizer Patient Assistance Program
9. MrMeds Patient Assistance Program

MrMeds

It is India’s largest super specialty pharmacy which provides drug assistance programs in different parts of India. Their main aim is to provide patients free medications or medications at low cost. To be part of those drug assistance programs patients have to follow certain steps. They should not have any insurance or underinsured patients.

Steps Involved in Drug Assistance Programs

There are mainly four steps

Step 1: Register with MrMed

It includes patient name, phone number, email, preferable call time, medicine details, quantity of medicines.

Step 2: Request enrollment in Patient Assistance Programs

Step 3: MrMeds guides you through the process

Step 4: Door delivery of Patient Assistance Programs medicine

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

As a patient you have individualised healthcare needs. You have a responsibility to respect healthcare providers and hospital staff without any discrimination and to treat co-patients and their representatives without regard to their diseased condition.

You should cooperate with healthcare professionals and should provide required information like personal details like name, age, address, mobile number, etc. And also related to your condition and history of past medical and medication and social history.

You should not lie to physician and should not hesitate to say their symptoms or hide them because they might be the main cause of your condition or disease. It might help healthcare professionals to treat your condition faster. You should follow the hospital policies and guidelines. And also have the responsibility to meet your doctor at time of your appointment, if not inform the hospital management prior, at least a day before. You have to accept the outcome of the treatment when you make your own decisions of treatment.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES TOWARDS DRUGS

Patient responsibilities towards drugs plays a major role in treatment. You as a responsible patient u have to report if you have any adverse effects after taking the medications prescribed by the physician because sometimes those adverse effects may leads to worsen your condition or it may lead to your death and if you give prior information about that things to doctor then he might find out the main cause of that effects and he might reduce that effect. If those adverse effects are truly due to the medication then he will change that medication and also if you don’t understand how to take any medication or at what time you should take that you have responsibility to ask those questions to your doctor.

Doctor prescribes the medications for a particular time period it is called as course of the treatment, as a patient you should follow the medication regimen and should not skip any medications or skip doses and should not take any extra doses. There are some drugs that are habit forming so be conscious while using those medications if not those may leads to addiction of those drugs. Some anticancer drugs which are used in chemotherapy can cause more adverse effects but they are given based on risk-benefit ratios. So these drugs should be used properly in order to relief from the disease.

You should follow all patient counseling steps which are explained by healthcare professionals. Their are some conditions like tuberculosis in which patient adherence is the most important factor to overcome the disease and to avoid the drug resistance. Drug resistance leads to mutations in mycobacteria and leads to drug resistance tuberculosis. And also adherence plays a vital role in rational use of drugs, If you won’t use your medications like antibiotics properly they might leads to resistance. Now a days Antimicrobial Resistance is becoming a worldwide issue.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES IN MONITORING ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS

Adverse drug reactions are unwanted effects of drugs which may leads to serious complications. These reactions will increase mortality and morbidity rates among patients. Patient is the first person to know the adverse effects of the drugs. As soon as having any unwanted effects of the drug they should immediately report to the doctor. These adverse effects may be due to medication errors which are made by the doctors themselves.

Patient should have some knowledge to differentiate between adverse effects and medication errors. These adverse reactions are may also be due to interactions between the prescribed drugs. Many of the patients were illiterate and may also don’t know the reporting systems.

Adverse drug reactions reporting by patient is important because it provides regulators with patients. Patients will be having some knowledge about their disease condition and treatment and they have to participate in adverse drug reactions reporting to improve safety of drugs.

PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES IN MEDICATION ADHERANCE

Medications are most commonly used for every diseased conditions now a days. Most frequently used in geriatric patients for multiple conditions to reduce mortality and morbidity and improve the patients quality of life. Non adherance to medications is mostly seen in geriatric and patients rather than others. Medications non adherance is due to many reasons like polypharmacy,and medication side effects, multiple conditions, cognitive behavior.

Medication nonadherance can be classified into two types, primary and secondary which are due to different factors. Primary non adherance is due to failing in refilling of prescription. Secondary non adherance is due to stoppage of medication permanently.

CONCLUSION

Patient Assistance Programs helps the poverty patient in order to overcome medications burden and improves medication adherence. These programs helps patients to complete their medication course by refilling their prescription. It can be provided all over the world. Each program has different instructions. Follow the instructions to get registered. Patient responsibilities to drugs plays an important role in overcoming adverse reactions and problems related to medications. They have to take their own responsibilities in order to overcome from the serious effects of the diseases.

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