HUNTINGTON -- A free prescription program in West Virginia still has room for people to sign up.

Many West Virginians have already signed up to get free prescription drugs through West Virginia Rx, but the program is still trying to reach others.

"We want to help all West Virginians who qualify for the program," said Brenda Dane, executive director of West Virginia Rx. "Even if someone doesn't need assistance, he or she still knows someone who could benefit from the services that we offer."

To qualify for assistance from West Virginia Rx, individuals must be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, a resident of West Virginia and without prescription drug coverage. Currently, more than 200,000 West Virginians qualify to receive life-sustaining, brand-name medications through the program. There is a $30 annual fee for participation, although the fee can be waved for individuals who are unable to afford it.

West Virginia Rx was created by Governor Manchin's office in 2008 to provide people who qualify for the program with medications that may be too costly for them to get on their own.

West Virginia Rx is made possible by the support of donated medications from several pharmaceutical manufacturers, including: Abbott Laboratories, Alcon Laboratories, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, King Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly & Company, Merck & Company, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and Sanofi-Aventis.

Founding funders for the program include the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Heinz Family Philanthropies, the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, the West Virginia Attorney General's Office, the Rite Aid Foundation, Chesapeake Appalachia, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, and CVS Foundation.

More information is available by calling 877-388-9879 or visiting www.wvrx.org.

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