ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Assistance Fund, an independent charitable patient assistance foundation that helps patients and families facing high medical out-of-pocket costs, today announced the opening of a new fund providing financial assistance for patients living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Financial Assistance Program provides eligible patients with financial assistance for copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, health insurance premiums and incidental medical expenses relating to travel and infusions.
“We are pleased to be able to provide financial assistance to people living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a serious and rare disease with limited treatment options,” said Mark P. McGreevy, President, The Assistance Fund. “Now that there is an approved therapy available to patients in the U.S., we hope that our new Duchenne fund will go a long way in helping these patients access the therapies they need.”
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of nine kinds of muscular dystrophy and is caused by an absence of an important muscle-related protein called dystrophin. In people with Duchenne, muscle weakness begins at an early age, and by the teenage years affects the heart and respiratory muscles. People living with Duchenne typically do not live beyond their 20s; however, with recent advances in care, survival into the 30s is becoming more common.1
“Until now, patients and families living with Duchenne in the U.S. have not had a single approved treatment option. As new treatments become available, we must see to it that all patients are able to secure the medicines they need,” said Pat Furlong, Founding President and CEO of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. “The Assistance Fund’s new fund for Duchenne muscular dystrophy is part of an important safety net for patients and families who might otherwise have trouble accessing their medicines due to resource barriers.”
Individuals interested in learning more or determining their eligibility for assistance should visit assistfund.org or call 855.730.5877 to speak with a patient advocate.
A list of all the funds available at The Assistance Fund can be found on the website assistfund.org. New funds can open and close at any time as funds are allocated to patients in need of assistance and new funds become available. We encourage patients to frequently check the status of the fund for their disease area if they are seeking financial assistance.
About The Assistance Fund
The Assistance Fund is an independent charitable patient assistance foundation that helps patients and families facing high medical out-of-pocket costs by providing financial assistance for their copayments, coinsurance, deductibles and other health-related expenses. The Assistance Fund currently manages more than 30 funds – each of which covers the FDA-approved medications that treat a specific disease. Since its founding in 2009, The Assistance Fund has helped more than 43,000 adults and children access the medicines they need to stay healthy or manage a chronic condition. To learn more about The Assistance Fund, or for information on how to donate, please visit assistfund.org.
References
1. “Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).” Muscular
Dystrophy Association. 2016, October. Retrieved from https://www.mda.org/disease/duchenne-muscular-dystrophy.
