Lilly to Offer Discount Card to Some Medicare Recipients

Eli Lilly & Co. said Tuesday it will offer some low-income Medicare patients a discount card for the purchase of any company prescription medicine at a fixed cost of $12 for a month’s supply, a price lower than that offered by other large drug makers.

Lilly’s move follows announcements of discount cards in the last year by U.S. drug giant Pfizer Inc. and European drug makers Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline, which also are geared for low-income and disabled Medicare patients who have no drug coverage.

Indianapolis-based Lilly said its LillyAnswers card will save patients an average of about $52 per monthly prescription. But to qualify, seniors must have an annual income of less than $18,000 per individual or $24,000 per household--the same income caps set for Pfizer’s card.

Lilly’s drugs include antidepressant Prozac, diabetes treatment Humulin, Zyprexa for schizophrenia and Evista for osteoporosis.

Pfizer’s card, unveiled in January, allows patients to pay $15 for each prescription filled with its medicines, for a savings of about $50 a prescription, the firm said.

The drug makers have introduced their cards amid a long delay by Congress in reforming the Medicare program for seniors and the disabled to include coverage for prescription drugs. The federal program typically reimburses enrollees for drugs only if they are taken in a hospital.

Lilly spokesman Ed West said as many as 12 million people in the Medicare program have no drug coverage from other sources, but only about 5 million of them would qualify for his company’s discount card.

“We wanted to do something to help the most needy, but we can’t offer discounted Lilly drugs to every person in America because we can’t afford that. We have to stay in business,” West said.

West acknowledged consumers might be confused by the crazy quilt of discount cards being offered by large drug makers, saying that was why Lilly set income limits identical to Pfizer’s.

Medicare enrollees can apply for the Lilly card by calling (877) 795-4559.

Lilly shares fell $1.25 to $77.25 on the New York Stock Exchange.