Ninety Eight Percent of Surveyed Rheumatologists Will Prescribe Roche's Actemra for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Ninety Eight Percent of Surveyed Rheumatologists Will Prescribe Roche's
Actemra for Rheumatoid Arthritis
However, Most Surveyed MCOs Won't Give Actemra More Favorable Reimbursement
Than its Competitors, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's
leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues,
finds that 98 percent of surveyed rheumatologists indicate they will prescribe
Roche's Actemra, an interleukin-6 inhibitor, for the treatment of rheumatoid
arthritis following the agent's expected launch in 2010. When asked why they
would prescribe the drug, more than 60 percent of these rheumatologists cite
the fact that, in clinical trials, Actemra has exhibited efficacy comparable
to the efficacy demonstrated in separate trials for TNF-alpha inhibitors such
as Amgen/Pfizer's Enbrel and Abbott's Humira, the two leading agents in the
rheumatoid arthritis drug market.

The new Physician & Payer Forum report entitled The Rheumatoid Arthritis
Biologics Landscape: Differentiation and Reimbursement in a Crowded Market
finds that the majority of surveyed rheumatologists indicate that they will
welcome the availability of Actemra because interleukin inhibition represents
a promising novel mechanism of action in rheumatoid arthritis treatment. The
report also finds that the market potential for novel oral agents such as
Pfizer's CP-690550 is significant as, on average, surveyed rheumatologists
estimate that more than half of patients treated with conventional
disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs fail treatment and require subsequent
therapy with a different drug class.

"More than two-thirds of surveyed rheumatologists expect that the majority of
patients who require therapy with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug would
choose oral dosing over subcutaneous delivery," said Decision Resources
Analyst Joanna Kim, M.Ed.

If CP-690550 were priced at a discount of greater than 35 percent as compared
with Humira, more than half of surveyed managed care organizations' (MCOs)
pharmacy directors would assign CP-690550 to tier 2 of their formularies. The
report also finds that, with regard to Actemra, 75 percent of surveyed MCOs
indicate that they will likely cover Actemra while 80 percent and 85 percent
of surveyed MCOs expect to cover its competitors, Genmab/GlaxoSmithKline's
Arzerra and Biogen Idec/Roche's ocrelizumab, respectively.

The Rheumatoid Arthritis Biologics Landscape: Differentiation and
Reimbursement in a Crowded Market is based on a U.S. survey of 100
rheumatologists and 20 MCO pharmacy directors. Their responses were compared
to assess similarities and differences of opinion regarding clinical, economic
and scientific factors.

Webinar
Media members are welcome to attend our upcoming webinar entitled Actemra and
CP-690550 in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Can a Novel Agent Revolutionize Established
Treatment Patterns? This webinar will be held on November 18, 2009 at 10 a.m.
U.S. Eastern Time. For more information, please contact Christopher Comfort at
ccomfort@dresources.com.

About Decision Resources
Decision Resources (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market
research publications, advisory services, and consulting designed to help
clients shape strategy, allocate resources, and master their chosen markets.
Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.

About Decision Resources, Inc.
Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers
best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the
healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed
decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at
www.DecisionResourcesInc.com.

All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information, contact:

Decision Resources Decision Resources, Inc.
Christopher Comfort Elizabeth Marshall
781-296-2597 781-296-2563
ccomfort@dresources.com emarshall@dresources.com

SOURCE Decision Resources

Christopher Comfort of Decision Resources, +1-781-296-2597,
ccomfort@dresources.com ; or Elizabeth Marshall of Decision Resources, Inc.,
+1-781-296-2563, emarshall@dresources.com