HIRC Research Finds Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline Lead the Industry in Product Promotion.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Health Industries Research Companies (HIRC) has released its Spring 2005 Managed Care Audit Service assessing the depth and breadth of pharmaceutical company product promotion with leading health plans.

Report Highlights

The Spring 2005 Managed Care Audit Service is based on extensive online surveys with 59 pharmacy directors at leading health plans across the U.S. The report is based on pharmacy director contact with pharmaceutical firms from July to December 2004. Report highlights include:

--Frequency of pharmaceutical account managers product related contact

--Top ten pharmacologic classes and top ten drugs promoted

--Messages associated with encounters: clinical, contracting, disease management and pull-through

--Comparative benchmark ratings of 30 companies on key criteria including account managers, clinical expertise, contracting, disease management, and pull-through

--Specific customer feedback on how pharmaceutical companies can better meet the needs of pharmacy directors

Statistics At-a-Glance

Frequency of product encounters:
       1. Pfizer
       2. GlaxoSmithKline
       3. AstraZeneca
       4. Lilly
       5. Merck

    Most promoted pharmacologic classes:
       1. Dyslipidemics
       2. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone System Inhibitors
       3. Reuptake Inhibitors
       4. PPIs
       5. Hypoglycemic Agents, Oral

    Most frequently promoted drugs:
       1. Crestor
       2. Vytorin (Schering)
       3. Bextra (a)
       3. Cymbalta (a)
       5. Celebrex
       (a) = tie

Availability HIRC publishes the Managed Care Audit Service semi-annually to establish benchmarks and to assess pharmaceutical firm's product promotion efforts in key strategic markets. The Spring 2005 report is available now for download. Please note that all HIRC reports are available only to pharmaceutical companies.

About Health Industries Research Companies

Health Industries Research Companies (HIRC) is an independent, nonpartisan organization that conducts strategic market research on a wide variety of health care markets. HIRC focuses on the needs of pharmaceutical companies by providing market research that is critical to the development of successful marketing strategies. HIRC conducts detailed research through extensive surveys and interviews with industry insiders, resulting in focused studies directed toward specific target pharmaceutical markets. Market research and account executives will find HIRC reports and custom research invaluable for providing concise summaries of the current trends that shape their business. HIRC has over 13 years of intimate experience with the pharmaceutical and health care industries. For more information about HIRC, visit www.hirc.com.