AdvancePCS Helping Doctors to Warn Patients About Withdrawal of Lotronex Medication.

Health & Medical Writers

IRVING, Texas--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 30, 2000

AdvancePCS, the nation's leading health improvement company (Nasdaq: ADVP), is moving quickly to alert physicians who have patients taking Lotronex(TM) (alosetron hydrocholoride), a prescription medication for irritable bowel syndrome that has been voluntarily withdrawn from the U.S. market.

AdvancePCS is contacting approximately 14,000 physicians who have patients that filled a prescription for Lotronex. The manufacturer, Glaxo Wellcome Inc., announced Tuesday (11/28) that it is ceasing distribution of Lotronex immediately at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Glaxo Wellcome's action followed discussions with the FDA about gastrointestinal side effects associated with the use of Lotronex and the agency's continuing investigation of the drug's safety.

"We have identified approximately 19,000 AdvancePCS plan members who have used Lotronex and we're contacting their prescribing physicians," said Andrew Garling, M.D., senior vice president of clinical operations for AdvancePCS. "By reviewing the pharmacy claims in our database, we can let doctors know which of their patients are taking Lotronex and encourage them to contact those patients."

AdvancePCS has programmed its online claims processing system to alert pharmacists about the drug's withdrawal if a patient attempts to fill a Lotronex prescription. AdvancePCS also has removed Lotronex from its national formulary, withdrawn the drug from its mail order pharmacies and added consumer alerts to its Web sites, including its consumer e-health portal, www.BuildingBetterHealth.com.

Lotronex became the first therapy for irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, to enter the market after receiving U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval on Feb. 9. It was approved for use by women with diarrhea-predominant IBS.

The drug works by blocking serotonin receptors in the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system, and is thought to reduce pain signals sent to the brain as well as slow intestinal hyperactivity. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter found throughout the body that is involved in regulating mood and other neurological responses.

Fifteen to 20 percent of Americans, predominantly women, are affected by IBS, a term that covers a wide range of medical conditions, including spastic colon, spastic bowel and functional bowel disease. Symptoms may be chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation and bloating after eating.

IBS can occur continuously or intermittently for years, affecting work productivity and basic activities of daily living.

AdvancePCS (www.advancepcsrx.com) is the nation's largest independent provider of health improvement services, touching the lives of more than 75 million Americans and managing more than $18 billion annually in health care spending. The company offers health plans a comprehensive array of highly effective pharmacy benefit and health benefit management services designed to build better health.

Its capabilities include integrated mail service and retail pharmacy networks, innovative clinical services, customized disease management programs, clinical trials and outcomes research, information management, and prescription drug services for the uninsured.

Its clients include Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations and other health plans, Fortune 500 employers, Taft-Hartley groups, state and local governments, and other plan sponsors.

AdvancePCS is the new name for Advance Paradigm, which acquired PCS Health Systems on Oct. 1, 2000, bringing together two leading companies engaged in improving health and managing health care costs.