purple2067

You have to find out from your insurance company if you have unlimited prescription coverage. In other words, do you have a certain amount that you are allowed to spend on prescriptions per year? I have really bad insurance right now. It does not cover doctor visits and it only covers $5000 in prescriptions per year. I started on Avonex at the end of 2003 and as you know, $5000 would not get me very far. (paying for Avonex, maybe $5000 would take me into April of this year). I also have other prescriptions that I need to pay for. So I called Biogen, the people who make Avonex, and their program, MS Active Source (1-800-456-2255) and they put me in touch with the Avonex Access program. The Avonex Access program is a program specially designed for people who cannot afford to pay for it. Right now I am just a substitute teacher. I get no health insurance, and I certainly do not make enough money to pay for it out of pocket. I have had to take out my own private health insurance, which is still not good enough.

Anyway, I was put in touch with the Avonex Access program and they asked for my 2003 tax return. They reviewed it and decided that I do not make enough money to pay for it. They are going to give it to me for FREE for one year, and at the end of one year they will re-evaluate. I may not be on Avonex for much longer because my doctor may want to switch me to something that is administered more often such as Rebif. But a friend of mine works for Pfizer and actually does work with Rebif marketing. He told me that in general, these companies will give you the drugs for free if you have poor health insurance and can prove that you make less than $30,000 a year. So if your insurance company were ever to stop paying for it, you have options.

MS Active Source will send you a whole lot of information on MS and on starting Avonex. You can also call them any time with questions or problems. They have really been wonderful. They're extremely nice and very helpful.

Good luck,
Elyse