On May 14th, Pfizer announced a new free drug program called MAINTAIN™ (Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need) for the unemployed. The program covers over 70 "primary care" drugs, which just so happens to include Viagra. So now you can maintain your sex life by MAINTAIN™ing your supply of Viagra!

All right, enough of my weak attempt at humor. Now for the details of this worthy program:

1. Program starts 7/1/09 and ends 12/31/09 (must enroll during this period)
2. You must reside in the U.S.
3. You must have become unemployed on or after 1/1/09
4. Must have been taking a Pfizer drug for 3 months prior to termination
5. Must have no medical coverage or prescription drug coverage
6. You can't pay for the drug due to unemployment and lack of insurance
7. Must provide proof of unemployment
8. Must attest to not not being able to afford the drugs due to unemployment and uninsured status

So if you pass all of the above tests and they accept you into the program, they will ship you your drug in 90 day quantities for up to a year (or until you get a new job or obtain insurance coverage).

I think that maybe 11 people will be eligible for this program based on the above requirements. Think about it...you must have been taking the drug before. So if you didn't have medical insurance prior to your unemployment, you probably weren't taking the drug in the first place.

But...if you DID have medical drug coverage and became unemployed in 2009, the Feds are subsidizing 65% of your COBRA premiums through 12/31/09! You are crazy not to take advantage of this temporary Federal COBRA subsidy if you are indeed unemployed. And if you do have COBRA, you would be ineligible for MAINTAIN™.

So the people best positioned to benefit from MAINTAIN™ are those unemployed who were paying cash for the Pfizer drugs for at least 3 months. All 11, maybe 12 of them.

For more information about the MAINTAIN™ program, visit www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com to download an application or call 866.706.2400 with questions.