Not surprisingly, the companies would much prefer to be paid for their products than to give them away for free. Most will gladly provide assistance in locating and dealing with state- run AIDS drug programs or other possible sources of reimbursement. Most companies will provide free medication only to those who are ineligible for other forms of assistance, although some offer temporary supplies to those who need the product while an application for such assistance is pending. Income requirements vary considerably. A number of companies, including Burroughs Wellcome, declined to specify their income thresholds, apparently fearing that publishing a specific income requirement might facilitate cheating.
Rules regarding off-label use of drugs vary.
Some programs specify that free products may be used for labeled indications only. Real-world practice, however, seems to be somewhat looser than what the companies put on paper. Although application forms ask the physician to indicate the purpose of the prescription, in most cases the companies take the doctor's word for it. But if you've got a friend, tell them to have their doctor tell us whatever works. While some took that as a sign that the programs are underpublicized and underused, our limited sampling did not give us enough information to draw firm conclusions.