Cognet-X,
Inc.: Wyeth Retains No. 1 Rank as Provider of Pull-through Programs, Managed
Care Executives Report
FEASTERVILLE---(November 22, 2002)--- For the second
consecutive ranking period, Wyeth ranked first with leading managed care
pharmacy directors for offering the best pull-through programs, Cognet-X, Inc.
reported today.
Wyeth placed first in the Pull-through Programs category
of the twice-yearly Corporate Assessment component of Cognet-X’s PAR-Rx
(Promotional Assessment Research) Report™. Points are accrued through
Cognet~X’s proprietary Scale of Influence model.
Pull-through programs are pharmaceutical company
initiatives designed to increase the market share of specific products while
reducing pharmaceutical expenditures for managed care organizations.
Wyeth and two of the other top five corporations in the
Pull-through Programs attribute market proton pump inhibitors. Wyeth markets
Protonix. AstraZeneca, which ranked third, manufactures Nexium (and the now
off-patent Prilosec) and fourth-ranked TAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. promotes
Prevacid.
Interestingly, the Pull-through Programs assessment
rankings confirmed the findings of proprietary primary research that Cognet~X
conducted for its recent symposium, Maximizing Market Share
Performance—Best Practices in Pull-through Program Execution.
As part of that research, 45% of managed care executives
noted that the PPI category is the drug class most frequently targeted for
pull-through programs as a means of containing prescription drug costs.
PAR~Rx panelists thought AstraZeneca’s pull-through
programs were successful because, as one respondent noted, “they provide
assistance with educating prescribers about the preferred drug list options
and promote evidence-based medicine through prescribing guidelines.” Said
another, “Their smart approach set the stage for success on the Nexium
rollout and allowed rapid market share growth.”
TAP received high marks for the high caliber of their
pull-through education materials and for serving as a true partner with
managed care customers. “Only promote their products according to our
guidelines to our doctors,” one pharmacy executive said. Another noted,
“They are quite willing to support us with pharmacist and medical provider
education.”
Third-place Novartis is known for offering sound advice
and for fully supporting its programs.
“Novartis has provided great support with pull-through
programs,” commented one PAR~Rx panelist, adding, “They have also provided
insight/suggestions on improving our efforts…and provided great excellent
follow-up.”
Merck & Co., Inc. rose one place, from sixth to
fifth, while Aventis lost ground, falling from second place to sixth.
Perhaps the biggest increase in ranking position came for
Abbott Laboratories, which climbed from 15th place in the 1Q period
to eighth place in the most recent ranking. “Abbott is not only able to move
market share but they seem to promote their drugs appropriately and materials
are very well referenced,” a PAR~Rx panelist noted.
Also finishing in the top 10 were Pharmacia Corp., The
Procter & Gamble Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
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
valuable Cognet-X products, please contact Robert E. Houghton (extension 101)
or James A. Barone (extension 102) at (215) 396-8300 or via e-mail at
robh@cognetx.com
or jimb@cognetx.com.
