Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS) and the ADAP Crisis Task Force (ACTF) announced an enhanced agreement to support the efforts of AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) to provide antiretroviral medicines to people living with HIV and AIDS. Building on an agreement signed in March of 2010, this announcement marks a multi-year enhancement to assist ADAPs in meeting the challenges of increasing patient case loads and strained government funding.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has worked with the ACTF since its inception in 2002 to help ensure access to HIV medications, such as Reyataz (atazanavir) and Sustiva (efavirenz).

“AIDS Drug Assistance Programs are a critical safety net to ensure people living with HIV/AIDS who have no other resources can continue to receive the HIV treatments they need,” said Dwayne Haught, spokesperson for the ADAP Crisis Task Force. “We commend Bristol-Myers Squibb for responding to the unprecedented need faced by state ADAPs to provide access to HIV medicines and enhance our March agreement by providing additional support. Our long working relationship with Bristol-Myers Squibb made this agreement possible.”

“Ensuring access to treatment for HIV and AIDS requires the commitment and participation of government, industry and the community,” said Lynda Dee of AIDS Action Baltimore and member of the Fair Pricing Coalition. “The Fair Pricing Coalition is pleased that Bristol-Myers Squibb continues to be a committed partner in meeting the needs of the HIV community.”

“Bristol-Myers Squibb has a longstanding commitment to HIV and AIDS,” said Raymond Sacchetti, senior vice president, US Virology, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “We are proud to support the ADAP Crisis Task Force and applaud their ongoing efforts in working with state and federal officials to secure the funding needed to appropriately meet this challenging public health need.”

In addition to enhancing the agreement with ACTF, Bristol-Myers Squibb offers people living with HIV/AIDS multiple ways to obtain medicine at reduced or no cost to the patient through the Bristol-Myers Squibb “Access Virology” program. Working directly with patients in need of assistance, the Access Virology programme evaluates a person’s eligibility for multiple prescription assistance programmes that are offered, including: Patient Assistance Program (PAP) provides:; Free Bristol-Myers Squibb HIV medicines to eligible patients based on medical and financial needs; “Fast tracking” of patients currently on an ADAP waiting list through accelerated advancement of their applications; A streamlined application process and eligibility criteria to help patients applying for medicine access.

Reyataz (atazanavir) and Sustiva (efavirenz) Co-pay Benefit Program: Designed for eligible patients with commercial insurance coverage; Bristol-Myers Squibb will pay the first $200/month ($2,400/year) of an eligible patient’s out-of-pocket co-pay costs for up to one year.

Benefit cards are available through healthcare providers or online at www.BMSHIVCoPayProgram.com.

Bristol-Myers Squibb also participates in the Partnership for Prescription Assistance and Together Rx Access. The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is an innovative program that helps connect patients with no prescription drug coverage to both public and private patient assistance programs. Together Rx Access offers eligible patients discounts for prescription medicines. For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit www.PPARx.org.

Additionally, Bristol-Myers Squibb & Gilead Sciences, LLC, have recently enhanced the Atripla (efavirenz 600 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate [DF] 300 mg) Co-Pay Assistance Program to cover up to the first $200 per month (or $2,400 per year) of related out-of-pocket expenses for commercially insured patients that have been prescribed ATRIPLA. Eligible patients can enrol by obtaining an Atripla co-pay assistance card from their healthcare provider.

The ADAP Crisis Task Force (ACTF) was formed in December 2002 by a group of state AIDS/ADAP directors concerned about the nationwide fiscal crisis facing ADAPs. The ACTF works with pharmaceutical manufacturers of antiretroviral medications to reduce drug costs and improve access to medications for clients in the nation’s ADAPs. NASTAD provides logistical support for the ACTF. Founded in 1992, NASTAD is a non-profit national association of state and territorial health department HIV/AIDS program directors who have programmatic responsibility for administering HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis health care, prevention, education, and supportive services programs funded by state and federal governments.

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.