Pharma Companies Step Up Relief Efforts Against COVID-19
The latest contributions from J&J, Gilead, BMS, Merck & Co, Bayer, Novo Nordisk, Lilly, and Daiichi Sankyo in funding and donations supporting relief efforts against COVID-19.
J&J Commits $50 M To Support COVID Frontline Health Workers
The Johnson & Johnson family of companies and the Johnson & Johnson Foundation are committing $50 million to support frontline health workers in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Earlier this year (January 2020), the company announced a commitment to donate $250 million over 10 years for recruiting, training, retaining and mobilizing frontline health workers through its Johnson & Johnson Center for Health Worker Innovation, a virtual center with a focus on supporting healthcare workers.
Source: Johnson & Johnson
Gilead Starts $20-M Fund to Support Nonprofits Impacted by COVID-19
Gilead Sciences has created the Gilead CARES (COVID-19 Acute Relief and Emergency Support) Grantee Fund to provide financial support to current grantees of nonprofit groups facing imminent closure or termination of services due to losses attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund will provide up to $20 million in donations to these nonprofit groups.
The Gilead CARES Grantee Fund was established to support organizations that already receive grant support from Gilead. Organizations may be eligible to receive up to $100,000 in emergency assistance.
Gilead is also donating $1 million to the San Mateo County Strong Fund, which is providing financial support to individuals, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations in San Mateo County, where Gilead is based, and $1 million to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, which is providing support for families and small businesses, relief for healthcare workers, and other services in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Kite, Gilead’s operating company that is focused on cell therapy, is headquartered in the Los Angeles area.
Additionally, Gilead will match employee donations to three global relief organizations: Direct Relief, the UN Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, and International Medical Corps.
Source: Gilead Sciences
BMS Expands Patient-Support and COVID-19 Programs
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has announced an expansion of its existing patient-support programs to help eligible unemployed patients in the US who have lost their health insurance due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other financial support in global relief efforts against COVID-19.
The expanded patient-support program offers access to any branded Bristol Myers Squibb medicine for free, including those prescribed via telehealth services for patients who have lost their employment and health insurance due to COVID-19. The program provides immediate access for eligible patients through a single point of entry, a streamlined enrollment process, and vouchers to assist with continuity of care for several self-administered BMS medicines.
Additionally, the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, an independent charitable organization, has provided more than $6 million in financial support, including $2.5 million to human service organizations and patient-support groups that are providing food services, education, and aid to vulnerable populations in communities around the US and in 10 countries, including China, Italy and Spain. The company also has made targeted donations of personal protective equipment and other equipment in the US as well as donated funds, equipment, and expertise in Italy, Greece, Israel, Romania, Canada, Korea and China.
Through Skills2Give, an ongoing Bristol Myers Squibb volunteer program, employees in the US, UK, and Australia have the option to select from virtual volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations. Over 3,000 employees are registered with the program and employees who are licensed healthcare professionals are being supported as they volunteer in local hospitals and will continue to receive pay.
Source: Bristol Myers Squibb (patient-support program) Bristol Myers Squibb (global relief efforts)
Merck & Co. Provides $3 M for Maternal Health Needs During COVID-19
Merck & Co. has committed to providing $3 million to help health systems meet the needs of pregnant women before, during, and following delivery while tackling COVID-19 through Merck for Mothers, the company’s global initiative to help end preventable maternal deaths.
Merck for Mothers will direct investments to efforts in the US and in countries impacted by COVID-19 to help address maternal health challenges resulting from the pandemic. Proposals will be considered on an invitation-only basis.
The $3 million in program funding from Merck for Mothers adds to Merck’s support for relief efforts. With this commitment from Merck for Mothers, Merck has contributed or committed more than $11 million to COVID-19 relief efforts. This support has included donations of medicines, personal protective equipment donations for healthcare providers, and funding to relief organizations, including the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization and to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation Emergency Response Fund.
Source: Merck & Co.
Bayer $1.1-M Aid Package Supports COVID-19 Efforts in Spain
Bayer is supporting efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain with an aid package totaling approximately EUR 1 million ($1.1 million). The funding includes funding of EUR 800,000 ($877,564) to the national health system in Spain for the purchase of medical equipment and hospital beds.
Further contributions of more than EUR 100,000 ($109,695) include the donation of test equipment for the diagnosis of COVID-19 to one of the research centers of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), a public research institution, as well as support for the “Coronavirus Emergency in Spain” program of the Red Cross.
In addition, a network of Bayer employees, including doctors, biologists, pharmacists and psychologists are offering their assistance through telemedicine programs or directly at health facilities. Bayer is supporting these efforts by employees through paid leaves of absence. Bayer is also offering an information service developed in cooperation with science organizations that supplies teachers with COVID-19-related materials and learning aids for online teaching.
Source: Bayer
Daiichi Sankyo To Donate $1 M in Relief Efforts Against COVID-19
Daiichi Sankyo Company will donate $1 million, through the Japan Center for International Exchange, a public-benefit foundation, to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response, a fund established by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, to support the work of the World Health Organization in relief efforts for countermeasures against COVID-19.
The donation is as part of a contribution to support measures against COVID-19 and the spread of infection in the future in areas where access to healthcare is inadequate.
Source: Daiichi Sankyo
Novo Nordisk Offers 90-Day Insulin Supply for Hardship Due to COVID-19
Novo Nordisk has launched a Diabetes Patient Assistance Program (PAP) for people with diabetes using Novo Nordisk insulin who have lost health insurance coverage because of a change in job status due to the COVID-19 pandemic to be eligible to receive insulin free of charge for 90 days.
Applicants are not required to provide documented proof of income but must provide documentation showing loss of healthcare benefits, such as a job termination notice or job status change, or proof that COBRA benefits are being offered. In addition, if Medicaid benefits are denied, assistance for eligible patients can be extended past the 90-day-window until the end of the year. People applying for this program must have a valid prescription for a Novo Nordisk insulin and meet certain eligibility criteria.
Because there may be situations where required enrollment documentation is not quickly accessible and a patient may be at risk of rationing insulin, Novo Nordisk has an immediate supply option available.
Source: Novo Nordisk
Lilly Insulin Program Offers $35 Co-Pay in Response to COVID-19
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Eli Lilly and Company is introducing the Lilly Insulin Value Program to allow patients with commercial insurance and those without insurance to fill their monthly prescription of Lilly insulin for $35. The program is effective as reported on April 7, 2020 and covers most Lilly insulins, including all Humalog (insulin lispro injection 100 units/mL) formulations. The program is one of several affordability options that can be accessed through the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center.
Source: Eli Lilly and Company
