May 23, 2001 Press Release

21st Century Solutions Designed To Meet 21st Century Challenges

Taking Support to the Next Level: GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Pfizer Earn High Marks for Value-Added Services, Cognet-X, Inc. Reports

FEASTERVILLE, Pa.--(BW HealthWire)--May 23, 2001--GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Inc. and Pfizer, Inc. far exceeded their competitors in offering the most valuable support services and programs to managed care plans and patients during the first quarter of the year, leading managed care pharmacy directors told Cognet-X, Inc.

GlaxoSmithKline finished first with a total of 415 points, followed by Merck and Pfizer, which tied for second with 349 points each, in the Value-Added Services assessment of Cognet-X's PAR-Rx (Promotional Assessment Research) Report(TM). Merck and Pfizer's rankings were 27% above those of the third-place company, Aventis Pharmaceuticals. The rankings utilize Cognet-X's proprietary Scale of Influence model to assess pharmaceutical company promotional activity to the most influential managed care pharmacy directors nationwide.

The corporations with the highest Value-Added Services rankings were as follows:

    1. GlaxoSmithKline

    2. Merck & Co., Inc.

    2. Pfizer, Inc.

    3. Aventis Pharmaceuticals

    4. American Home Products Corp.

    5. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

    6. Schering-Plough Corp.

    7. AstraZeneca LP

    8. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

    9. Eli Lilly & Co.

    10. Abbott Laboratories

The best value-added services help to contain health care costs, often by educating medical professionals, patients and even caregivers about specific diseases, conditions or treatment options.

For example, pharmacy directors who singled out GlaxoSmithKline and Merck for praise frequently cited those companies' asthma-related support programs. In some cases, GlaxoSmithKline provides peak flow meters and inhalers to managed care plans so that physicians, pharmacists and other support staff can educate asthma patients on how to check their airway flow and learn how to effectively use inhalers. Merck works closely with managed care executives to provide clinical support for professionals and educational materials for patients.

PAR-Rx panelists said Pfizer offers high-quality support and programs for treating depression, cardiovascular conditions and diabetes. As with asthma, interventions in these conditions, such as patient education programs, can generate results that provide long-term health and cost benefits.

PAR-Rx panelists mentioned GlaxoSmithKline programs in asthma, allergy, antibiotics, migraine and smoking cessation as offering real value to their plans and patients.

"Pharmacy directors told us that the company's clinical and disease management staffs often worked together to support educational programs, particularly in the areas of asthma and smoking cessation," said Charles M. Maier, Cognet-X's director of market research analysis.

"GlaxoSmithKline is very willing to bring in speakers and to offer non-biased educational programs that can be tailored to specific audiences, including providers, pharmacists, physicians, patients and employers," Maier added. GlaxoSmithKline also received a first-place ranking for its Disease/Health Management Programs, another of the six assessment categories within the PAR-Rx's assessment survey.

Some panelists singled out Merck's asthma, congestive heart failure and cholesterol-reducing programs as examples of excellent support. "As one panelist put it, Merck has and offers a wide range of support and service options--everything from continuing education programs for professionals to outstanding clinical information, good materials for members and screening programs," Maier said. Merck also is willing to carve out a service that specifically meets the needs of each plan and its enrollees.

Pfizer received high marks for its diversified and well-balanced programs and its willingness to provide in-house training for medical professionals as well as community based educational and screening initiatives. For example, the company recently sponsored diabetes and cholesterol screenings at a major health fair in Philadelphia, PA.

"Pfizer also is respected for its continuing education and for providing clinical assistance on projects that help managed care plans show cost savings with better health outcomes for patients," Maier noted.

Panelists said third-place Aventis offered a program that could help prevent deep-vein thrombosis in patients who had undergone hip or knee replacement surgery and that suggested approaches to treat patients at home.

American Home Products' Wyeth-Ayerst division has been "very helpful to plans, offering statistics and information on women's health care. Wyeth also has responded quickly and thoroughly to panelists' requests for data in key therapeutic areas," Maier said.

Novartis, ranked fifth, generated significant goodwill with its fellowship program and regional advisory board meetings, which bring together medical professionals such as pharmacists to discuss important therapeutic issues.

"Panelists told us that the fellowship program were among the best conferences they've attended. It contains no product or company talk but instead really focuses on building relationships and education," Maier said. Novartis also was cited for its series of publications tailored to managed care professionals.

Schering-Plough offers clinical programs for physicians and an innovative program to help educate hepatitis C patients and to keep them compliant. Maier said pharmacy directors also appreciated Schering's asthma program, "which is available at no cost to the plans."

AstraZeneca has developed a reputation for "providing out-of-the-box resources," Maier said. "AstraZeneca is very adept at customizing training programs with plans' clinical staff on such topics as communications skills."

Bristol-Myers Squibb supports in-service meetings for physicians on cardiovascular conditions such as hypercholesterolemia and hypertension as well as information on diabetes.

Eli Lilly is well known for its support of diabetes care initiatives, but Maier said the company also helps with managed care organization Web site development, programs for employer groups and women's health care fairs throughout the community.

"Abbott is often identified most by its programs that promote the appropriate use of antibiotics," Maier noted. "These programs frequently provide clinical information that helps physicians and pharmacists make good decisions--and panelists said Abbott also offers excellent patient education brochures on how to manage upper respiratory infections."

About the PAR-Rx Report

Cognet-X's PAR-Rx Report is a year-round service that provides the pharmaceutical industry with real-time, Internet-based competitive intelligence on pharmaceutical company promotion to influential managed care pharmacy directors.

The Report offers Cognet-X clients the ability to evaluate and analyze variable differences that are critically important to their decision-making process. The Report collects comprehensive data that can be segmented and analyzed to provide clients with "21st-Century solutions to their 21st-Century challenges."

About Cognet-X

Cognet-X offers the pharmaceutical industry market research, consulting and software development that help companies build and refine their relationships with numerous customer bases, including the managed care community. Based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Cognet-X is privately held and employee owned.

For more information on the PAR-Rx Report or other cutting-edge Cognet-X products, please contact Robert E. Houghton or Charles M. Maier at 1-866-cognetx (866-264-6389) or via e-mail at robh@cognetx.com or chuckm@cognetx.com

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