Imdur

KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 1996--Key Pharmaceuticals announced today that IMDUR(R) (isosorbide mononitrate) Extended Release Tablets, an oral nitrate treatment for angina, has been added to the formulary of Medi-Cal of California, the largest state Medicaid program in the United States.

IMDUR is the first and only mononitrate therapy to gain unrestricted status on Medi-Cal. The medication is now available on virtually all state Medicaid formularies and reimbursed by more than 90 percent of managed-care organizations nationwide.

IMDUR is an oral, once-daily medication for the prevention of angina due to coronary artery disease, a painful heart condition that affects more than 3 million people in the United States. IMDUR offers a unique combination of benefits, including once-daily dosing and proven long-term efficacy. Launched in 1993, IMDUR has become the most widely prescribed oral nitrate brand in the United States in less than three years.

"We are pleased that Medi-Cal has made IMDUR available to the 5.5 million people eligible for the Medicaid program in California," said Richard W. Zahn, president of Schering Laboratories, which is marketing IMDUR through its Key Pharmaceuticals unit. "The addition of IMDUR to the Medi-Cal formulary demonstrates that the state's health care authorities recognized the unique therapeutic benefits and long-term economic value that IMDUR can bring to today's hard-pressed health care programs."

Key Pharmaceuticals submitted substantial data to Medi-Cal supporting the efficacy, safety and dosing regimen of IMDUR. The product belongs to a class of drugs known as oral nitrates and is the only drug in its class that offers once-daily dosing. The convenient dosing of IMDUR may help facilitate patient compliance, a particularly important benefit for chronically ill patients. Compliance is especially critical with nitrate therapies, which can rapidly lose their effectiveness when not taken precisely according to the prescribed dosage schedule.

Key Pharmaceuticals is a marketing unit of Schering Laboratories, the U.S. prescription pharmaceutical marketing arm of Schering-Plough Corp. of Madison, N.J. Schering-Plough is a research-based company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical and health care products worldwide.

CONTACT: Key Pharmaceuticals

Paul Huff, 908/298-5316

or

Hill and Knowlton

Jared Chaney, 415/781-2430

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