Cystic Fibrosis Services Pharmacy Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Main Category: Cystic Fibrosis
Article Date: 19 Dec 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Cystic Fibrosis Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, today announced its 20th anniversary of providing quality pharmacy services to the cystic fibrosis (CF) community nationwide.

The organization was founded in 1988 with one patient, one prescription and a mission to improve access to specialty medications for people with CF. It met an untapped need and had 1,300 customers within six months. Today, the pharmacy has filled more than one million prescriptions and provides services to nearly 8,000 customers - almost one-third of the entire CF population in the United States.

"The CF Services Pharmacy has a 20-year track record of advocating for people with cystic fibrosis and removing barriers that stand in the way of people receiving the drugs and therapies they need to stay healthy," said Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

In addition to competitively priced medications, CF Services provides many free services unavailable at other pharmacies. These include help with insurance reimbursement, monthly billing (rather than upfront payment), specialty supplies and equipment at no charge, and financial assistance for those in need. The pharmacy provides more than $1 million in assistance and support annually to customers and the CF community.

"We are honored to have helped and served so many people with cystic fibrosis over the past two decades," said Dan Klein, vice president and general manager of CF Services. "As important new CF therapies become available in the coming years, we are poised to tackle whatever obstacles stand in the way of patients receiving the best CF drugs available."

CF Services has also played an important role in helping pharmaceutical companies set up patient assistance programs, and in funding patient education programs at CF Foundation-accredited care centers and fundraising chapters.

CF is a life-threatening genetic disease that affects approximately 30,000 people in the United States. It causes the body to produce abnormally thick mucus that leads to debilitating lung infections and digestion complications. When the CF Foundation was created in 1955, few children lived to attend elementary school. Today, because of research and care supported by the CF Foundation, the median age of survival for a person with CF is now age 37.

About CF Services and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

CF Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, was established in 1988 as a specialty pharmacy in response to CF patients' need for quality pharmacy services. Today, CF Services continues this mission. CF Services understands that CF is complicated and getting your medication shouldn't be! For more information, visit the CF Services Web site at http://www.CFServicesPharmacy.com.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the leading organization in the United States devoted to curing and controlling cystic fibrosis. Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, the Foundation has more than 80 chapters and branch offices throughout the country and supports and accredits a nationwide network of 115 care centers.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation