Recovery from a serious disease can have its own perils beyond the physical: the risk of being bankrupted by the cost of treatment.

A year's therapy, for example, with Genentech's anti-cancer drug Avastin can cost $50,000 or more, depending upon the kind of cancer. A year's treatment for colorectal cancer with Amgen's Vectibix runs $100,000. A round of treatment with Rituxan, a drug for various cancers and autoimmune diseases, costs about $9,000.

But as with many other expensive things in life, you may not have to pay retail. Drug companies and health clinics offer discounts on drugs through what are called patient assistance programs. The programs differ by company, but they offer benefits such as a cap on the total price of the drug, or heavy discounts for people who can't afford the drug. And you don't have to be spending $50,000 a year on the drugs to benefit.

The catch is to use many of these patient assistance programs, you have to know about them.

Barbara Gay of Oceanside found out through Vista Community Clinic that she was eligible to receive asthma medications for $15 a month that normally would cost her more than $200 a month. The manufacturer donates the medicine, and the $15 covers the clinic's costs.

Gay visited the clinic at the urging of a daughter, and was told she was eligible for a patient assistance program by the manufacturers of her asthma medications, Advair and Ventolin.

"It was like a 1-2-3 process," said Gay, who signed up about five weeks ago. "You just answer a few questions and show a paycheck. That's it."

Worrying about the cost of medication was a new experience for Gay, 57. She was used to her job's health insurance covering the cost. But after she was laid off around the beginning of the year, Gay lost her coverage. She's now working as a temporary employee, which doesn't give her health insurance.

"It's kind of rough," Gay said. "I was spending basically my whole life with insurance, and then all of a sudden, now you just don't walk into a job and get covered. People are just doing temporary (hiring). So I got lucky."

Before enrolling in the program, Gay said, she had been admitted to a hospital emergency room after a severe asthma attack. Without insurance, she was responsible for the full cost of the drugs and treatment.

"It's rough out there. That's what I'm finding out." Gay said.

However, Gay said she now has the assurance that at least this part of her life is under control. Asked how long she can remain on the program, Gay said, "Forever."

Manufacturer programs

One way to get help with the price of a drug is to contact the manufacturer directly. Several major companies have programs, such as Genentech and Amgen, which publicize their patient assistance programs on their Web sites (see box).

Genentech's assistance program for Avastin is available for patients who make less than $100,000 a year and who get 10,000 mg of Avastin for an FDA-approved use.

Amgen's Safety Net Foundation provides cancer drugs at no cost to qualified patients who make up to $75,000 a year. Its Vectibix Cap, available to those who don't qualify for Safety Net, limits Vectibix co-payments to 5 percent of adjusted gross income. Once patients reach the cap limit, they are eligible to get Vectibix free from the Safety Net Foundation.

Pfizer Inc. offers a program finder on its Web page that walks patients through finding a discount program.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance compiles lists of patient assistance programs from many drug makers, as well as regional groups and disease-specific foundations.

Aggregator

NeedyMeds, a non-profit organization based in Gloucester, Ma., aims to be the one-stop information center for drug discount programs. The site is at http://www.needymeds.com. Its aim is to educate patients on how to find information, said Dr. Richard J. Sagall, NeedyMeds' president.

The site began 10 years ago as a database collected by a medical social worker, Sagall said.

"It just seemed like a good bit of information that would help my patients and other people," Sagall said. "And to be honest, I had just learned how to do HTML. It just seemed like a good project to use my newly learned skills."

NeedyMeds steadily grew, and now gets an average of about 8,000 visitors a day, he said. It subscribes to the HON Code, a set of ethical standards for health care sites drawn up by the Health on the Net Foundation.

Newcomers to the site should click on the tab that says "First Time Users," he said, and they'll get a list of what the site has to offer and how to use it. The staff isn't equipped to handle telephone calls; people with further questions can e-mail the foundation at a contact page.

"We're like the Yellow Pages. We have the information but we don't supply any medications or financial assistance," Sagall said. "We just help people find what's available and they have to follow through with it. We have information on the pharmaceutical patient assistance programs, state programs, programs that help people with paperwork, disease-based assistance, links to Medicaid sites, etc."

Staffers regularly update the site, and those seeking information should visit about once a week.

"You would think there'd be a finite number of programs, but there isn't," Sagall said. "We're adding all the time. We have well over 1,000 programs now."

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at (760) 739-6641 or bfikes@nctimes.com.

Help with drug costs

The groups listed here can help you find a Patient Assistance Program to reduce the cost of your medications.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance

https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php; (888) 477-2669

Drug companies and doctors have teamed up on this site to list patient assistance programs from many manufacturers, as well as disease-specific funding and local programs.

NeedyMeds.com

This "Yellow Pages" of patient assistance programs, listing help by drug manufacturer, by disease, and regional programs. It's a nonprofit group.

RxHelpForCalifornians

http://www.rxhelpforca.org

As the name implies, this group provides drug assistance information for Californians. The group helps connect low-income people who qualify for discounts with the drug manufacturers.

Vista Community Clinic

http://www.vistacommunityclinic.org or (760) 631 5000. Provides low-cost health services to North County residents. Helps patients find the appropriate drug assistance programs for their needs.

Drug companies

Many drug companies offer patient assistance programs. These are a few:

Genentech Patient Assistance Program: (888) 249-4918, or online at www.gene.com/gene/about/views/pricing/patient-access.jsp

Amgen Patient Assistance Program: (800) 272-9376), or online at http://www.amgen.com/patients/assistance.html

Pfizer Inc.: 866-776-3700, or online at http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com/pages/misc/Default.aspx.

GlaxoSmithKline: Free prescription medicines to eligible Part D-enrolled patients. Log on to www.gsk-access.com or call (866) 475-3678 to get information on GSK Access.