GSK provides its medicines and vaccines free to uninsured people and certain Medicare patients
GSK makes prescription medicines for asthma and COPD such as Trelegy and Anoro, the specialty medicines Benlysta and Nucala, several cancer medicines, and widely used vaccines including Shingrix for shingles and Arexvy for RSV. The company runs charitable programs that provide these products free of charge to people who cannot afford them, mainly the uninsured and certain Medicare patients.
This page explains how those programs are organized now, who qualifies, and how to apply. Everything now runs through two places, described below.
- A warning about application fees: The GSK and their Foundation that runs these programs charges no fee to apply, participate, or receive medication, and GSK states that any organization charging a fee to help with a GSK application is not associated with the program. If someone asks you for money to enroll you, stop — apply directly through your provider or the program phone line instead.
How GSK assistance is organized now
The starting point is GSKForYou at https://gskforyou.com/. Type the name of your medicine or vaccine into the search tool on that page, and it routes you to whatever help exists for that product — a free medication program, copay assistance, or a coupon or free trial offer. This matters because GSK's products change hands and get discontinued over time, and the search tool always reflects what the company actually sells and supports.
The free-medication programs themselves are run by the GSK ViiV Healthcare Patient Access Programs Foundation, an independent charitable foundation separate from the company, at https://gskpaf.org/ \. The Foundation operates three programs: one for GSK prescription medicines, one for GSK vaccines, and one for HIV medicines from ViiV Healthcare. The program phone line is 1-866-728-4368, with help available in Spanish and many other languages.
Free GSK prescription medicines
The medicine program provides certain GSK prescriptions at no cost. To qualify you must be treated by a licensed provider in the United States, live in the United States or Puerto Rico, and either have no insurance or have Medicare and meet additional program requirements. Income limits apply, and they are set separately for each medicine — GSK does not publish one flat number, so use the eligibility check at https://gskpaf.org/gsk/prescription-medicine-patient-assistance/ or call 1-866-728-4368 to find the limit for your specific prescription.
Specialty medicines such as Benlysta and Nucala and GSK's cancer medicines run through separate GSK support programs with their own enrollment. You do not need to figure out which program is which — the product search tool routes you, and your doctor's office can enroll you in the specialty programs directly. Like most company programs, enrollment runs about a year at a time before you reapply.
Free GSK vaccines, including Shingrix
The vaccine program currently covers Shingrix for shingles, Arexvy for RSV, Boostrix for tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough, and Engerix-B for hepatitis B. It is for adults 18 and older who live in the United States or Puerto Rico and have no insurance coverage for vaccines. This is one of the few ways an uninsured adult can get Shingrix, which costs several hundred dollars for the two-dose series at retail.
The income limits for the vaccine program are published and higher than most people assume. Under the limits GSK currently posts, a single adult in the 48 states and D.C. can earn up to $47,880 a year and qualify, and a family of four up to $99,000, with separate tables for Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Check the current table at https://gskpaf.org/gsk/vaccines-patient-assistance/ before deciding you earn too much.
You cannot apply for the vaccine program on your own — your doctor's office or clinic must register with the program and submit the application for you. Ask your provider to enroll you, or call 1-866-728-4368 to have an application mailed and bring it to your provider. Once approved, you are covered for vaccine doses for up to one year.
If you have Medicare or Medicaid
Medicare patients can qualify for the GSK medicine program if they meet the program's requirements, so it is worth checking even with a Part D drug plan. The vaccine program is different: it does not accept Medicare patients, because Medicare drug plans already cover recommended adult vaccines — including the shingles vaccine — at no cost, with no copay and no deductible. Medicare's own explanation is at https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/shingles-vaccines, and if a pharmacy tries to charge you for Shingrix under a Part D plan, ask them to bill the plan directly.
If your income is low, also apply for Medicaid, which covers prescription drugs at little or no cost in every state. Keep in mind that Medicaid goes by different names depending on where you live — Medi-Cal in California, TennCare in Tennessee, BadgerCare in Wisconsin, AHCCCS in Arizona — so look for your state's program name. A person on Medicaid generally does not need a manufacturer program for covered drugs.
HIV medicines are handled by ViiV
GSK's HIV medications are sold by ViiV Healthcare, a company GSK majority-owns, and the free-medication program for them runs through the same Foundation. If you need help paying for HIV medication, start with our HIV medication assistance guide, which covers ViiV's program alongside ADAP and the other help available
A note on this information
NeedHelpPayingBills.com provides information on assistance programs and general resources only. Nothing on this page is medical advice. Questions about your medications, vaccines, or health belong with your doctor, pharmacist, or clinic.
GSK sets and changes the eligibility rules, income limits, and covered products for these programs. Confirm current requirements on the program pages linked above or at 1-866-728-4368 before you apply.
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