Pregnancy and Cancer Top the List Of the Most Commonly Searched Health Conditions

RESTON, Va., April 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — comScore, Inc. , a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a listing of the 20 most commonly searched health conditions as well as the 15 most commonly searched prescription brands in February 2008. The results, from comScore’s custom search capability, revealed that the terms “pregnancy” and “cancer” were the two most frequently searched conditions, garnering 8.8 million and 7.7 million search queries respectively. That five of the 20 conditions (herpes, HIV, HPV, menopause and pregnancy) relate to sexual or reproductive health may be a function of these conditions’ highly personal nature and the anonymity the Internet provides.

   Most Commonly Searched Health Conditions   February 2008   Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations   Source: comScore, Inc.     Search Term     Search Queries                         (000)    Pregnancy            8,841   Cancer               7,718   Flu                  1,824   Depression           1,807   Diabetes             1,758   Addiction            1,407   Herpes               1,340   HIV                    976   Anxiety                910   Stroke                 872   HPV                    861   Bipolar                861   Cholesterol            816   Headache               763   Menopause              667   Hepatitis              614   Arthritis              600   ADHD                   573   Asthma                 569   Fibromyalgia           551     

“It’s not too surprising that some of the most common health conditions, such as diabetes, depression and flu, have made the list, but it’s interesting that these terms generate fewer searches than significantly less prevalent conditions like cancer and pregnancy. A reason for this may be due to life-changing nature of a cancer diagnosis or a pregnancy,” said Carolina Petrini, comScore senior vice president. “When facing a serious illness like cancer or after becoming pregnant or considering pregnancy, consumers often turn to the Internet to search for information and educate themselves in a private setting. comScore’s findings, along with information about the search popularity of branded terms provide meaningful insights into the ways consumers use search to find health information online.”

Chantix Reigns as the Most Frequently Searched Brand but Depression Drugs Dominate List.

The study also looked at the top 15 most commonly searched prescription brand name treatments and found that Pfizer’s Chantix, a smoking cessation treatment, topped the list, generating more than 500,000 search queries in February 2008. Adderall (a commonly prescribed ADHD treatment) and Viagra (a popular erectile dysfunction treatment) came in a close second and third on the list, respectively.

Additionally, four of the fifteen most frequently searched prescription brands — Cymbalta, Effexor, Lexapro, and Prozac — are depression treatments. For patients seeking information about this highly personal condition, the Internet provides an ideal channel.

   Most Commonly Searched Prescription Brands   February 2008   Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations   Source: comScore, Inc.     Brand Name    Search Queries                      (000)    Chantix             507   Adderall            469   Viagra              348   Ambien              334   Lexapro             274   Effexor             264   Cymbalta            235   Lyrica              233   Seroquel            198   Lipitor             181   Prozac              174   Cialis              120   Paxil               119   Crestor             119   Singulair           114      Additional Insights:    — The top searched health condition, “pregnancy,” is searched 17 times      more often than the most popularly searched brand name, “Chantix.”   — The second most searched term, “cancer,” garnered 7.7 million search      queries in February. Of those queries, 1 million were specific to the      term “breast cancer.”   — The number of searches for ADHD (573,000) was very similar to the      number of searches for the ADHD treatment, Adderall (469,000). Because      the popularity of condition versus brand searches differs based on      condition, this data supports the need for marketers to evaluate their      therapeutic area’s online search landscape so they can properly      allocate resources toward strategic, non-branded and branded search      campaigns.   — A condition’s prevalence is not necessarily correlated to its search      popularity. For instance, according to data from the American Diabetes      Association and the National Institute of Health, there are several      million more people living in the United States with diabetes than with      cancer. However, the number of search queries for the term “cancer”      (7.7 million) was more than four times the number of search queries for      the term “diabetes” (1.8 million).   — A comparison of the search terms “pregnancy” (which garnered 8.8      million searches) and “cholesterol” (which garnered less than a million      searches) revealed a similar discrepancy. In the United States,      approximately 4 million women a year give birth (as reported by the      American Pregnancy Association), while nearly 40 million people suffer      from high cholesterol (as reported by the American Heart Association).   — Historically, awareness of Fibromyalgia — which was the twentieth most      popularly searched health condition — has been low and resources have      been scarce. However, searches for the treatment have likely grown in      the past couple of months due to the recent approval of Pfizer’s Lyrica      as a treatment for the condition. The relatively large number of      searches for Fibromyalgia, is likely a result of marketing around      Lyrica which has helped to raise awareness of the condition.     About comScore Pharmaceutical Solutions  

comScore Pharmaceutical Solutions delivers in-depth information needed to understand the impact that brand, condition-specific, and health portal Web sites have on consumers’ brand awareness, conversion, and patient compliance. comScore’s products deliver actionable insight to help refine consumer profiles, identify key alliances, optimize interactive marketing initiatives, benchmark against the competition and accurately measure the ROI of Web site and online marketing programs.

To learn more about comScore Pharmaceutical Solutions, please visit http://www.comscore.com/solutions/pharma.asp.

About comScore

comScore, Inc. is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/boilerplate.

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