AdvancePCS Helping Doctors to Warn Patients of Baycol Medication Withdrawal.Health/Medical Writers IRVING, Texas--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 10, 2001 AdvancePCS, the nation's leading health improvement company (Nasdaq: ADVP), is moving quickly to alert physicians who have patients taking Baycol(R), a cholesterol-lowering prescription medication that has been voluntarily withdrawn from the U.S. market by its manufacturer, Bayer Corp. AdvancePCS is contacting approximately 55,000 physicians with patients who have filled a prescription for Baycol (active ingredient An active ingredient, also active pharmaceutical ingredient (or API), is the substance in a drug that is pharmaceutically active. Some medications may contain more than one active ingredient. : cerivastatin cerivastatin Baycol® Cardiology Cholesterol-lowering, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor/statin for managing hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia; it ↑ HDL-C and ↓ LDL-C; withdrawn from the market as it was linked to rhabdomyolysis. See Statin. ). Bayer announced the withdrawal on Wednesday (8/8) because of increasing reports of side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. involving muscular weakness, or rhabdomyolysis rhabdomyolysis /rhab·do·my·ol·y·sis/ (-mi-ol´i-sis) disintegration of striated muscle fibers with excretion of myoglobin in the urine. rhab·do·my·ol·y·sis n. . Severe cases of this condition are potentially life-threatening. "By reviewing the pharmacy claims in our database, we have identified more than 116,000 AdvancePCS plan members who have used Baycol," said Andrew Garling, M.D., senior vice president of clinical operations for AdvancePCS. "We are reaching out to our plan members' physicians with a letter that lets them know which of their patients are taking Baycol and encourages them to consider alternative prescriptions." AdvancePCS has programmed its online claims processing system to reject claims when patients attempt to fill a Baycol prescription at pharmacies. AdvancePCS also has removed Baycol from its national formulary National Formulary /Na·tion·al For·mu·lary/ (NF) a book of standards for certain pharmaceuticals and preparations that are not included in the USP(United States Pharmacopeia). Na·tion·al Formulary n. Abbr. and withdrawn the drug from its mail order pharmacies. About AdvancePCS AdvancePCS (www.advancepcsrx.com) is the nation's largest independent provider of health improvement services, touching the lives of more than 75 million health plan members and managing more than $21 billion annually in prescription drug prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, spending. The company offers health plans a wide range of health improvement products and services designed to improve the quality of care delivered to health plan members. The company's capabilities include integrated mail service and retail pharmacy networks, innovative clinical services, customized disease management programs, specialty pharmacy, clinical trials and outcomes research, information management, and prescription drug services for the uninsured. AdvancePCS clients include Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Shield A US not-for-profit health care insurer that is a reimbursement intermediary for physicians. Cf Blue Cross. organizations, insurance companies and HMOs, Fortune 500 employers, Taft-Hartley groups, state and local governments, and other health plan sponsors. AdvancePCS is an information technology leader and has developed several online e-health solutions, including www.AdvanceRx.com, one of the country's most comprehensive Internet pharmacies internet pharmacy Online A website that offers prescription drugs from the comfort of home Cons The IP or prescribing physician may not be qualified or licensed to prescribe drugs in all states. See Operation Cure-All, VIPPS. . The company's e-health portal, www.BuildingBetterHealth.com, helps people stay healthy by providing valuable information on health and wellness. |
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