New Wyeth-Ayerst Painkiller No. 2

Business Wire, Feb 3, 1998

NEWTOWN, Pa.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 3, 1998--A month after its launch, Wyeth-Ayerst's Duract became the second-most dispensed oral non-narcotic analgesic in the United States.

Duract captured 19% of new prescriptions in its category in August 1997, according to the Source Prescription Audit, a service provided by the health care consulting firm Scott-Levin that tracks prescription drug activity. Since then, Duract has continued to gain new prescription share (27% in October) from market leader Ultram and third-place Cataflam.

The oral analgesic market generated nearly $575 million from retail prescriptions during the 12-month period ending October 1997, an increase of 18% from the prior year.

After only 3 months on the market, Duract became the most promoted product in its class. It accounted for 72% of the 326,000 details made for oral non-narcotic analgesics during the quarter ending October 1997.

Wyeth's Duract details mainly targeted primary care physicians, who received 54% of the total, and orthopedic surgeons, who received 18%. According to Scott-Levin's Personal Selling Audit, doctors indicated that reps most often cited Duract's attributes and compared the drug with Percocet and Ultram.

Retail pharmacies dispensed more than 1 million new prescriptions for oral non-narcotic analgesics in October. Primary care physicians wrote more than half (52%) of these prescriptions, followed by orthopedic surgeons (12%). Duract captured a 29% share of new prescriptions in this category among primary care doctors, higher than its 27% share overall.

In October, the average size of a Duract prescription was 31 capsules, compared with 50 tablets for Ultram. At $4.10, Duract cost patients 28% more than Ultram ($3.20) per day, although Duract patients received about 3 fewer days of therapy per prescription than Ultram patients.

Managed care plans paid for more than 60% of the new prescriptions dispensed for oral non-narcotic analgesics in October. Duract's new prescription share among third-party payers and cash payers was consistent with its overall share; the brand accounted for 22% of new prescriptions covered by Medicaid in its market.

For more information, contact Jim Charnetski or Sherry Dixon at 800/982-5613, or e-mail them at email@scottlevin.com.

Scott-Levin, a subsidiary of PMSI/Scott-Levin Inc., provides consulting and communications services to pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Visit Scott-Levin on the World Wide Web at http://www.scottlevin.com.

CONTACT: Scott-Levin, Newtown

Jim Charnetski or Sherry Dixon, 800/982-5613

email@scottlevin.com