With the U.S. economy in a shambles and more Americans skipping their meds rather than paying prices they can’t afford, some pharmaceutical assistance programs are increasing the help they offer to financially strapped consumers.

If you’ve ever looked into these programs, you know they can be a hassle to apply for. With both government and pharmaceutical industry programs, it can sometimes feel like running a marathon to get approved.

But with those caveats, the good news is that more people are qualifying for these programs today than ever before.

Here’s a sample of what’s currently available:

• The HealthWell Foundation, a nonprofit that helps people struggling with drug costs, upped its monthly assistance allocation in February to $10 million, up from $8.5 million in January.
• The pharmaceutical firm Merck — maker of Singulair, Januvia, and many other drugs — will now provide drug assistance to consumers with a household income of $43,320 or less for individuals, $58,280 or less for couples, or $88,200 or less for a family of four. This is double the previous income threshhold — and applies even if the income situation is temporary as a result of unemployment.
• The pharmaceutical firm Abbott this month launched a program to help patients pay for the drug Humira. Now many patients will not have to pay more than $5 per month for the drug, whether or not they have insurance.
• Together Rx Access, a discount card offered by drug companies, has raised the income eligibility threshhold for the program. The annual income requirement now ranges from $45,000 or less a year for a single person (up from $30,000) to $105,000 or less for a family of five (up from $70,000).
  
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Teva Pharmaceuticals, a leading maker of generic drugs, is taking on overpriced brand name drugs in a campaign patterned after the Mac vs. PC ads. Here are two of the spots, which emphasize that generics are equal in effectiveness to branded drugs, while costing far less.

Most educated consumers understand this, one would hope. The real problem is when our federal government does not permit generics to compete with branded drugs (in the name of patent protection). This gives drug makers long-term monopolies on thousands of prescription medications, enabling them to gouge the public with sky-high prices.

That’s when turning to competitors in Canada is the best alternative. In fact, I’d love to see a Canadian pharmacies vs. U.S. pharmacies version of the Mac vs. PC ads!

Hat tip: Peter Rost

Consumer advocates, insurers and physicians are increasingly endorsing pill-splitting as a way to save money on your prescription drugs.

How does it work? And is it safe?

Basically, it works by having your doctor double your prescription’s strength, then splitting the pills.

And it’s safe if you do it correctly, using a pill-splitter, and if you only do it with drugs that your doctor says are OK to split.

Specific pills that are good candidates for splitting include:

• Blood pressure drugs Aceon, Atacand, Avapro, Benicar, Cozaar and Diovan
• Anti-depressants Lexapro, Zoloft and Paxil
• Anti-cholesterol drugs Crestor, Lipitor, Pravachol and Zocor

Here are some pills that should not be split:

• Time-released pills, because altering the dosage can change the way the medication gets into the blood stream
• Oddly shaped pills, because it is difficult to cut them into halves
• Tiny pills, because they are difficult to split without the pill crumbling apart
• Capsules and gel caps

And here are some additional tips for splitting safely:

• Don’t try to split your own pills if you have arthritis or other problems with dexterity.
• Never use a kitchen knife; a good pill-splitter only costs about $20.
• Split one pill at a time, rather than the entire bottle at once.

UnitedHealthcare Insurance offers a “half tablet” program that enables members to order double-dose prescriptions; the insurer even gives users a free pill-splitter. The company estimates an average member saves $300 per year by splitting pills.

In the current economy, more women are saying “no” to cosmetic medical procedures like Botox and Juvederm injections. So Allergan, the maker of these medications, is fighting back with a coupon program.

Allergan is offering a $50 off coupon for wrinkle remover Botox Cosmetic, and a $100 rebate on two syringes of Juvéderm, Allergan’s filler for lower face wrinkles.

That may make the difference in the purchasing decision for some laid-off workers, who are increasingly turning to plastic surgery and procedures like Botox to find a job.

Ask your doctor for details.

First Meijer and Publix supermarkets began offering free antibiotics to their pharmacy customers. Then Giant Food and its sister chain, Stop & Shop, followed suit.

This is great news for saving money on your prescription drugs — but remember that these businesses are not charities. They are offering antibiotics as loss-leaders in the hope that you will do your other shopping at their stores as well.

Not only that, but the Centers for Disease Control is concerned that the free antibiotics programs will lead to overuse — with negative health consequences for all of us. As MSNBC reports:

Offering free antibiotics to cash-strapped customers may have seemed like a good idea this dire winter, but supermarket chains are fielding a backlash from health experts who say the promotions may do more harm than good.

Five large retailers have received letters from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Infectious Diseases Society of America cautioning that giving away antibiotics contributes to misuse of medication and the rise of increasingly drug-resistant bugs…

Whatever the source … health experts say easy access to antibiotics is at the core of the growing problem of drug resistance. Overuse of the drugs has allowed many bacteria to become increasingly immune to the medications. That has fueled the rise of potentially deadly superbugs such as MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and C. diff, or Clostridium difficile…

“The fact is that antibiotics are not harmless,” said [Dr. Lauri] Hicks, the CDC specialist. “There’s a perception that antibiotics are like candy.”

Freebee’s advice to you is this:

1. If you’re not currently doing your shopping at a store that offers free antibiotics, don’t switch just because of the drug promotion.

Only go there for the free antibiotics, and continue with your current routine. If you do choose to switch, be sure to look at your total grocery bill and compare it to what you were paying at the supermarket you used before. Remember, the most common antibiotics are available as generics and not that expensive, so if you’re paying more for your groceries to go to Publix, for example, it isn’t worth it.

2. If you have a cold or the flu, don’t ask your doctor for an antibiotic. It’s unlikely the drug will help.

When you go to the doctor, ask him or her for an honest opinion on whether an antibiotic will help you. Often, time and rest are the best medicine. If you insist on getting a prescription, many doctors will write it for you. But antibiotics aren’t candy. Be responsible in using them.