Verispan: Merck Advances to No. 2 with Medical Directors

YARDLEY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the first time in 4 years, Merck was ranked among the top three pharmaceutical companies overall by managed care medical directors in Verispan’s spring 2007 Managed Care Medical Director Promotional Audit.

“excellent MCO account manager and good scientific personnel support.”

The overall ranking is calculated by Verispan based on five assessment areas: clinical objectivity, value-added services, disease management, account personnel and corporate approach.

Best Overall
Company	Rank
Pfizer	1
Merck	2
GlaxoSmithKline	3
Source: Verispan’s spring 2007 Managed Care Medical Director Promotional Audit

Since 2003, Merck had received an average rank of seventh; the company had not ranked better than No. 4 overall.

Between fall 2006 and spring 2007, Merck’s rank improved in four of the five assessment categories. The company’s most notable improvements appeared in the clinical objectivity and disease management categories, where Merck advanced from No. 6 and No. 5, respectively, to No. 1 in both areas. For disease management, Merck tied with Pfizer.

One medical director who listed Merck as best for clinical objectivity commented, “[Merck is] coming back strong after the hiatus; works well and understands our problems; provides frequent updates.” One medical director who listed Merck as best for disease management said Merck has “long-standing, clinically strong programs.”

For the sixth consecutive audit cycle, medical directors ranked Pfizer No. 1 overall. The company took the top spot in three of the five assessment categories, including account personnel, where it has been the sole leader since fall 2004. Comments from medical directors included, “Knowledgeable reps; well-versed on products and managed care,” and “excellent MCO account manager and good scientific personnel support.” Pfizer ranked No. 2 for clinical objectivity and No. 6 for its corporate approach.

About the Audit

Verispan’s Managed Care Medical Director Promotional Audit is based on the responses of medical directors who represent a large portion of American lives covered by HMOs. These medical directors reported promotional activity by pharmaceutical firms over an 8-week period in spring 2007. They also rated pharmaceutical companies on their ability to meet the managed care industry's needs in five areas: clinical objectivity, value-added services, disease management, account personnel and corporate approach.

For more information on the Managed Care Medical Director Promotional Audit or any other Verispan managed care product, please contact Keith Mandia or Jacqueline Ferenz at [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail] or [e-mail].

About Verispan

Verispan, a healthcare informatics joint venture of Quintiles Transnational Corp. and McKesson Corp., provides a broad array of information products and services to the healthcare industry, including sales targeting and compensation products; market research audits; healthcare profiles; comprehensive managed care offerings; data integration, warehousing and mining; data analysis and consulting; direct mail; list services; disease management studies; clinical trial investigator targeting and protocol recruitment evaluation; healthcare outcomes; and cost/benefit analyses, among many others. Verispan is also the nation's leading provider of patient-centric longitudinal data, with dozens of products used by clients spanning the industry.

Headquartered in Yardley, Pa., Verispan employs over 500 dedicated healthcare information professionals. The company's Web site is www.verispan.com.