MS Patients More Compliant with Medications When Managed by Specialty Pharmacy, According...

MS Patients More Compliant with Medications When Managed by Specialty
Pharmacy, According to HealthCore Study Presented at ISPOR

Study reports MS medication possession ratio of 86 percent for specialty
pharmacy members

ORLANDO, Fla., May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiple sclerosis patients managed by a
specialty pharmacy program were more compliant with medication, and had a
lower risk of being hospitalized for their disease than those who were not
managed by a specialty pharmacy program, according to a study completed by
HealthCore, Inc.

HealthCore researcher Jingbo Yu presented the study today at the International
Society of Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research 14th Annual International
Meeting in Orlando, Fla. The retrospective study analyzed medical and pharmacy
claims data.

The HealthCore study compared 3,055 patients managed by PrecisionRx Specialty
Solutions to 807 patients who were not part of a specialty pharmacy-managed
group over a period of one year. PrecisionRx provided patient education
materials, regularly scheduled nurse calls and refill reminders to its
members.

The study showed that those in the managed group had a 47 percent lower risk
of being hospitalized to treat conditions associated with MS compared to the
non-managed group.

Average overall MS-related total cost of care for one year was $20,105 for the
managed group versus $16,857 for the non-managed group. The difference was
driven by improved persistence with medications. Over time, the average
MS-related medical cost decreased $270 among the managed patients, while it
increased $1,245 among the un-managed group.

The study showed that the overall cost of care among the group managed by
PrecisionRx Specialty Solutions, a subsidiary of WellPoint Inc., was higher
because these members adhered better to their MS medication, which is costly.
Reduced short-term disability costs, improved presenteeism and productivity
were not directly assessed in the study, but likely are significant due to the
significantly decreased utilization of medical services.

"Outcomes are clearly better for patients when they receive more sophisticated
support and education that is encouraging them to stay compliant with their
medication," said Dr. Joseph Singer, vice president of clinical affairs for
HealthCore, the research outcomes subsidiary for WellPoint Inc. "It's
well-documented that these drugs keep patients healthier and functioning at a
higher level for a much longer period of time than if they weren't taking
these drugs, despite their common side effects."

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and progressive inflammatory disease of the
central nervous system that affects about 400,000 people in the United States.
The medications currently available to treat MS are effective in reducing
relapses but are associated with side effects that reduce their tolerability.
Those patients managed by PrecisionRx achieved a length of continuous therapy
over 290 days compared to 209 days by the non-managed group, which was
statistically and clinically significant.

"Because MS drugs have significant side effects, the regularly scheduled nurse
calls -- at three, six and then 12 months, can make a huge difference in how
that member continues with therapy," said Tracy Nolan, vice president of
PrecisionRx Specialty Solutions. "We develop relationships with members that
open the door to them sharing with us issues they may have in being compliant.
By knowing what those problems are, we can often help them figure out a
solution."

About the study
A total of 3,862 patients were identified in the study with 79 percent managed
and 21 percent non-managed. The median age was 46 years and the majority was
female. More than one-third of the patients used Avonex as index medication,
while others used Copaxone (31 percent), Rebif (17 percent), Betaseron (14
percent) and Tysabri (less than 1 percent).

About HealthCore
HealthCore, based in Wilmington, Del., is the clinical outcomes research
subsidiary of WellPoint. HealthCore has a team of highly experienced
researchers including physicians, biostatisticians, pharmacists,
epidemiologists, health economists and other scientists who study the "real
world" safety and effectiveness of drugs, medical devices and care management
interventions. HealthCore offers insight on how to best use this data and
communicates these findings to health care decision-makers to support
evidence-based medicine, product development decisions, safety monitoring,
coverage decisions, process improvement and overall cost-effective health
care. For more information, go to www.healthcore.com.

SOURCE WellPoint, Inc.; HealthCore

Lori McLaughlin, +1-317-488-6898 or +1-317-407-7403,
lori.mclaughlin2@wellpoint.com