Drug company extends aid to LI man BY RIDGELY OCHS
Newsday Staff Writer
March 23, 2006
A major, multimillion-dollar drug company has agreed to continue providing a Nassau man a pain reliever free of charge, thanks to the unflagging efforts of his former wife.
For the past eight years, James Rogers, 55, has relied on huge doses of the highly addictive narcotic OxyContin to relieve pain caused by an inoperable cyst on his brain stem. Withdrawal from the drug would kill him, his doctor has said.
Until recently, the drugmaker, Purdue Pharma, had provided the drug, which would cost Rogers $120,000 a year, free as part of a program for low-income people with no drug insurance.
But in December the company said it would no longer provide Rogers with OxyContin because he was eligible for the new Medicare Part D drug program. However, Rogers, who lives on disability and a small pension, could not afford the co-pays and deductibles required in many Medicare plans.
Rogers' former wife, Veronica Goldman, of Williston Park, spent months calling Purdue, health plans and politicians to find a way to continue the drug. Last week, she and Rogers learned that Purdue would extend free coverage for a year. After that, the drug company will re-evaluate his situation.
Purdue Pharma spokesman James Heins said the company plans to continue its program for those not eligible for Medicare Part D or for those like Rogers "who have a real problem."
"It showed a sense of responsibility; I give them credit for that," said Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), whose office worked with the drug company.
Rogers said he is grateful but would feel better if he got a letter confirming the drugmaker's commitment.
An estimated 1 million people who relied on drugmakers' patient assistance programs have been similarly affected by Medicare Part D. Drug companies became worried in November when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general's office warned that giving free drugs could be viewed as trying to influence Medicare patients to choose one company over another.
But shutting these programs down was not the intent of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said spokesman Peter Ashkenaz yesterday. Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc. |
