Zuellig Pharma Initiative Helps Patients Afford Medication

The affordability of prescription medication can play a crucial role in patient adherence. Patients can be intimidated by expensive treatment and medication, whether they are required to pay upfront or over time. Often, this is compounded by their lack of understanding of the consequences of non-adherence.

In light of this, Zuellig Pharma pioneered a patient support program across the Malaysian cities of Selangor, Penang and Perak. The program was designed to address the very issue of affordability.

Over an initial period of six months, the program was rolled out across 11 hospitals and 49 cardiologists and successfully enabled over 300 targeted patients to enjoy discounted medication and redemption offers following a guided enrolment process. Significant improvements in patient adherence led to a subsequent 15-month extension to further scale up the program.

In addition to the Malaysian success, Zuellig Pharma also developed a Patient Payment Program (PPP) in Singapore, offering 6- and 12-month interest-free instalment payment plans and providing more affordable payment options for patient treatment.

Both programs yielded significantly improved rates of follow-up, persistence and compliance from patients.