Sorry to Hear You Lost Your Job; Would Some Free Viagra Cheer You Up?

Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest drug maker behind popular medications such as Viagra, Celebrex, and Lipitor, is announcing it will provide one year of free pills to people who have lost their jobs and health insurance.

The free offer would apply to more than 70 Pfizer prescription drugs, including Viagra taken for erectile dysfunction and the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor. To qualify for the free drugs, people would have to show they have been taking the medication for three months or longer, provide a “pink slip” or similar termination notice received from their work since Jan. 1, 2009, and sign a statement that they are suffering from financial hardship as the result of being laid off.

Pfizer will accept applications for the free-drug program through the end of the year. Patients who qualify would receive free prescriptions for one year, or until they obtain new health insurance, whichever comes first, officials said.

Pfizer officials said they have no idea how much giving away free drugs to the unemployed and uninsured for up to a year will cost the company, but that the growing number of unemployed Americans spurred the idea to give away drugs.

“Everybody knows now a neighbor, a relative who has lost their job and is losing their insurance. People are definitely hurting out there,” said Dr. Jorge Puente, Pfizer’s head of pharmaceuticals outside the U.S. and Europe and a proponent of the drug giveaway. “Our aim is to help people bridge this point.”

Pfizer should be commended for stepping up to the plate and helping millions of Americans who have lost their jobs and insurance to continue taking the drugs they need.

Some People Skipping Prescriptions to Save Money

Numerous studies have shown that the financial recession that has crippled the U.S. and global economies has forced millions of Americans to either cut back on their medications or stop taking the drugs altogether because they can no longer afford them. Some are not taking the drugs as often as they are supposed to. Others are cutting pills in half to make prescriptions last longer. Officials say those practices can be dangerous and leave patients vulnerable to severe injuries.

Apply Over Phone, On-Line

Starting today, May 14, 2009, patients can call a toll-free number, 866-706-2400, to sign up for the Pfizer free-drug program. Patients who take Pfizer drugs that are not included in the giveaway will be directed to other aid programs the company sponsors, officials said.

The Pfizer drugs which will be provided free-of-cost under the new program include some of the company’s top sellers, drugs such as the painkiller Celebrex, Lyrical for fibromyalgia treatment, and several types of antibiotics, antidepressants, antifungal treatments, heart drugs, contraceptives and drugs to help smokers kick the habit.

Beginning July 1, 2009, patients will be able to apply for free drugs and learn more about other company aid programs via the Internet site, www.PfizerHelpfulAnswers.com, officials said.

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