Accuretic

Health/Medical Writers

NEWTOWN, Pa.--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 23, 2001

More than 20 new drugs were added to the fall 2000 edition of Scott-Levin's Managed Care Formulary Drug Audit.

Berlex's Betapace AF, a cardiovascular therapy, was the new product with the highest level of formulary acceptance, according to the audit.

Betapace AF, for treating atrial fibrillation or flutter in patients without congestive heart failure, was on formulary at more than half (54 percent) of the managed care plans surveyed.

While Betapace AF appeared on the largest number of formularies, the new brand that was available to the largest number of drug-plan-eligible members was Bristol-Myers Squibb's Glucovance, an oral treatment for type II diabetes.

A formulary is a list of pharmaceuticals and their appropriate dosages felt to be most useful and cost-effective for patient care. In HMOs, physicians are often required to prescribe from the formulary.

The fall 2000 edition of the Managed Care Formulary Drug Audit tracks the formularies and related prescribing controls of a pharmacy executive panel representing an estimated 62 percent of all U.S. managed care subscribers whose drug benefits are controlled by formularies. The audit covers 38 therapeutic classes.

The Tier Factor

Seventy percent of panelists who had a portion of their membership enrolled in a three-tier benefit design told Scott-Levin that newly approved drugs which have not yet been reviewed by the managed care plan are available to members at the third-tier co-pay level.

Under the most common three-tier system, consumers pay the lowest price for generic drugs (first tier), a higher price for brand-name drugs on a plan's formulary (second tier), and the highest price for drugs that are not on formulary (third tier). Third-tier co-payments typically range between $15 and $50.

Of the new products, Glucovance was among the least likely to appear in the more expensive third tier. Thirty-one percent of the plans surveyed that offered a three-tier benefit to their members placed Glucovance in the third tier. The drug was offered at the highest co-pay to only 17 percent of members enrolled in three-tier benefit plans.

For more information, please contact Tom Ciampa at tom.ciampa@scottlevin.com or Heather Jones at heather.jones@scottlevin.com. Phone: 215/860-0440; fax: 215/860-5477.

Scott-Levin provides consulting services to more than 100 U.S. and international pharmaceutical clients. These services monitor key areas such as product promotion, industry trends, retail pharmacy activity, market performance, managed care and government affairs.

Scott-Levin's market research audits and strategic studies cover detailing, meetings and events, direct-to-consumer advertising, journal advertising, and other media. Taken together, Scott-Levin products can give clients the most accurate possible picture of total pharmaceutical promotion.

Scott-Levin is part of the Quintiles Informatics group of Quintiles Transnational Corp., the world's leading provider of information, technology and services to bring new medicines to patients faster and improve health care. Headquartered near Research Triangle Park, N.C., Quintiles employs a global workforce of 19,000 in 38 countries.

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