"New to Brand" Patients Drive Growth in Celexa Use; Antidepressant Popular with Senior Citizens, Primary Care Doctors

Business Wire, June 1, 2001

Health/Medical Writers

NEWTOWN, Pa.--(BW HealthWire)--June 1, 2001

Forest's Celexa, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant, continues to show sharp growth in patients, according to the Scott-Levin patient-tracking service Patient Parameters(TM).

Celexa captured 13.8 percent of the SSRI patient market in February 2001, up significantly from 10.1 percent in February 2000.

In February 2001, 7.38 million patients received an SSRI. Zoloft was the market leader with 1.82 million patients, followed by Paxil with 1.79 million and Prozac with 1.73 million. There were 1.01 million Celexa patients, an increase of 51.4 percent from the previous year.

Among the 1.01 million Celexa patients, 58 percent were classified as "continuing,"(a) while 37 percent were "new to brand."(b) Celexa's share of "new to brand" SSRI patients grew from 12.6 percent in March 2000 to 15.1 percent in February 2001. During this same period, Prozac's share of "new to brand" SSRI patients declined from 22.7 percent to 21.7 percent.

Helping to boost Celexa was acceptance by patients older than 65. Within this population, the number of Celexa patients grew 72 percent between February 2000 and February 2001. In addition, use of the product climbed 60 percent among patients receiving their prescription from a primary care physician.

Patient Parameters(TM) shows that among patients switching to Celexa in February 2001, 17,000 switched from Paxil, 15,000 from Zoloft, and 14,000 from Prozac. During the month, Celexa gained 8,000 more patients than it lost. Most of this gain came from the 40-mg tablet; the 20-mg tablet lost approximately 5,000 more patients than it gained.

Also helping to drive this increase in patients is Forest's commitment to promoting the drug. According to Scott-Levin's Personal Selling Audit/Hospital Personal Selling Audit, during the three months ending February 2001, Forest spent $26.9 million to detail Celexa. As a result, the brand accounted for 22 percent of all SSRI/SNRI details, the most in the class.

This represented a 6.3 percent increase in Celexa details from the previous year.

Patient Parameters(TM) is the first nationally projected patient-tracking service capturing information from the Quintiles Informatics Healthcare Claims database. This database contains anonymous, de-identified information on 110 million unique patients.

For more information, clients can contact Debbie Alcott (debbie.alcott@scottlevin.com), Nancy Robertone (nancy.robertone@scottlevin.com) or Jim Dietz (jim.dietz@scottlevin.com). Media representatives should contact Dave Johnson at dave.johnson@scottlevin.com. Phone: 215/860-0440; fax: 215/860-5477.

Scott-Levin provides consulting services to more than 100 U.S. and international pharmaceutical clients. These services monitor key areas such as product promotion, industry trends, retail pharmacy activity, market performance, managed care and government affairs.

Scott-Levin's market research audits and strategic studies cover detailing, meetings and events, direct-to-consumer advertising, journal advertising, and other media. Taken together, Scott-Levin products can give clients the most accurate possible picture of total pharmaceutical promotion.

Scott-Levin is part of Quintiles Transnational, the world's leading provider of information, technology and services to bring new medicines to patients faster and improve health care. Headquartered near Research Triangle Park, N.C., Quintiles employs a global workforce of 18,000 in 39 countries.

Quintiles is a member of the S&P 500 and Fortune 1000. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.quintiles.com.

(a) "Continuing" patients are defined as patients who have received a prescription for the same drug during the past six months. Additionally, the prescription must be filled within 15 days after the prior prescription lapses.

(b) "New to brand" equals the sum of new Celexa patients never previously on therapy plus patients switching to Celexa plus patients adding Celexa to already existing antidepressant therapy.