IMS Health Launches Weekly Over-The-Counter Tracking Services in The U.K.

LONDON--(BW HealthWire)--April 19, 1999--

IMS HEALTH's PharmaTrend Service To Track U.K. Supermarket OTC Sales

IMS HEALTH (NYSE:RX) today announced the launch of the full PharmaTrend weekly Over-the-Counter (OTC) tracking service in the U.K. The retail tracking service will cover community pharmacies, drugstore and pharmacy chains, and now for the first time, the leading U.K. supermarket chains. PharmaTrend tracks a wide range of product categories, from OTC self medication products such as aspirin, to herbals, homeopathic medicine, first-aid products, cosmetics and even baby formula. The U.K. launch marks the 11th Western and Central European country tracked by IMS HEALTH's PharmaTrend. IMS HEALTH is the world's leading provider of information solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

"The combination of U.K. supermarket data and weekly reporting creates a very powerful tool for pharmaceutical companies selling into the OTC market in the United Kingdom," said William Quaeyhaegens, vice president, IMS HEALTH SelfMedication. "Because of its speed, the service will be particularly valuable for evaluating the impact of promotional campaigns and television advertising, or to scrutinize -- step-by-step, week-by-week -- the launch of a new product."

Supermarkets are having a significant impact on OTC sales in the U.K. Recent data from the U.K. PharmaTrend service shows that more than 20 times as many packs of ibuprofen are sold through supermarkets than pharmacies, and that the number of unbranded ibuprofen packs sold per supermarket is more than 100 times greater than sold in a traditional pharmacy. This, according to John Lawson, director, SelfMedication, IMS HEALTH U.K., is an example of critical market insights provided by PharmaTrend to IMS HEALTH's OTC customers there.

"PharmaTrend is comprehensive, covering thousands of brands and segmenting the various retail points. It is accurate, as it is electronically sourced via scanners. And, it is fast," said Lawson. "PharmaTrend represents next-generation decision support for our OTC customers."

IMS HEALTH's PharmaTrend also tracks the OTC markets in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.

IMS HEALTH is the world's leading provider of information solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. With more than $1.2 billion in 1998 revenue, IMS HEALTH operates in over 90 countries. IMS HEALTH is the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer information partner, with over 40 years' experience in the industry. Key products and services integral to customer day-to-day operations include: market research for prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products; sales management information to optimize sales force productivity; technology enabled selling solutions for sales and marketing decision-making; and technology systems and information services that support managed care organisations. Additional information is available at http://www.imshealth.com.