PhRMA Launches National Campaign To Support SCHIP Reauthorization

Washington, D.C. (May 21, 2007) — America’s pharmaceutical research companies launched a national education campaign today to improve awareness of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a program which helped more than 6 million low-income children last year alone get the healthcare they need.

“For parents, there is no greater issue of importance than ensuring the health of their children,” said PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin. “That’s why Congress must act quickly to reauthorize the SCHIP program which provides a critical safety net of care for children.”

To increase awareness of the program and support its reauthorization by the U.S. Congress, PhRMA’s new national television and print advertising campaign emphasizes the critical role SCHIP has played to improve the health and lives of millions of children across the nation.

PhRMA also is expanding its Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) program to include SCHIP enrollment information. The PPA, sponsored by PhRMA and its member companies, is a national clearinghouse for more than 475 patient assistance programs that provide free or nearly free medicines to low-income, uninsured and underinsured patients. More than 40 of these assistance programs focus on the medication and health care needs of children. To help make it easier for parents to learn about these available programs, including SCHIP, the PPA has launched a new Web site, http://kids.pparx.org.

Since its creation nearly 10 years ago, SCHIP has been effectively taking care of children who lack healthinsurance. Parents all across America have peace of mind because their children have regular healthcare coverage and can receive health exams and preventive care as needed.

“SCHIP is vitally important because it is designed for families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance for their children,” said Tauzin. Children who are helped by the program receive a wide range of health services, including regular checkups, immunizations, prescription drugs, laboratory tests, x-rays, hospital visits and more.

Despite the success of SCHIP, too many American children still lack health coverage, including many who are eligible for but have not enrolled in the program.

To help address the problem, America’s pharmaceutical research companieshave committed themselves to supporting public policies and programs that helpchildrenand their familiesreceive affordable quality health care.Since its launch in April 2005, the PPA has helped nearly four million people nationwide receive free or nearly free medicines.

“Every child deserves a chance to learn, grow and achieve. Children need to be healthy to realize their full potential, and good health starts with access to quality healthcare coverage. Reauthorization of SCHIP is important and we encourage Congress to consider new ways to make SCHIP outreach and enrollment efforts even more effective, ensuring this successful program helps as many children as possible,” said Tauzin.

To view the commercial, please visit: http://www.phrma.org/phrma_tv/.

To view the print ad, please click on: http://www.phrma.org/files/PhRMA_SCHIP_Child Paint optim.pdf

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The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $43 billion in 2006 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $55.2 billion in 2006.

PhRMA Internet Address: www.phrma.org

PhRMA en Español: www.nuestraphrma.org

For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: www.innovation.org

For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: www.pparx.org

For information on the danger of imported drugs, visit: www.buysafedrugs.info