Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Awarded Prestigious NCQA Certification for National Under Pressure(TM) Hypertension Management Program

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ — Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., announced today that Under Pressure(TM), its national hypertension disease management program developed in accordance with JNC-7 guidelines, has received Disease Management Program Design Certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA certification signifies that the Under Pressure program has passed a rigorous review and successfully meets objective, evidence-based, high standards of health care quality.

“In addition to offering highly effective treatments in cardiovascular care, we are committed to ensuring that consumers have access to high quality, practical tools to help them take the best possible care of their hearts and bodies,” said Kevin McDermott, Vice President, Managed Markets, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. “The Daiichi Sankyo Managed Markets team is honored to represent this widely recognized symbol of quality from the NCQA for our Under Pressure program.”

With a focus on improving quality of care, the Under Pressure initiative was launched in 2006 to foster partnerships between leading managed care organizations and the healthcare providers in charge of patient care. The patient is encouraged to be more actively involved in the management of their cardiovascular health by emphasizing the key elements necessary to live with hypertension including diet, exercise and medication. Health plans drive the initiative by inviting appropriate plan members to participate in the campaign. Once patients opt-in, they receive regular educational mailings including an innovative DVD, and are directed to a program Web site featuring articles, which reinforce the educational mailings. Earlier this year, Daiichi Sankyo announced a culturally competent version of the Under Pressure initiative designed for African-Americans with hypertension.

NCQA’s certification standards are set high to encourage organizations to continuously enhance program quality. Certification standards are developed with input from researchers in the field; the Disease Management Advisory Council (DMAC) and standing committees; employers; both purchasers and operators of disease management programs; state and federal regulators; and other experts. NCQA has reviewed and certified Daiichi Sankyo’s Program Design capability.

Hypertension is one of the most prevalent conditions in the United States affecting approximately one in three American adults (about 73 million people age 20 and older) and approximately one billion people worldwide.(1,2) It is often difficult to control, and of those with high blood pressure, approximately 65 percent do not have the condition under control.(3) The number of people with high blood pressure is expected to reach about 1.6 billion worldwide by 2025.(4)

About Daiichi Sankyo

A global pharma innovator, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., was established in 2005 through the merger of two leading Japanese pharmaceutical companies. This integration created a more robust organization that allows for continuous development of novel drugs that enrich the quality of life for patients around the world. A central focus of Daiichi Sankyo’s research and development are thrombotic disorders, malignant neoplasm, diabetes mellitus, and autoimmune disorders. Equally important to the company are hypertension, hyperlipidemia or atherosclerosis and bacterial infections. For more information, visit www.daiichisankyo.com.

Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, is the U.S. subsidiary of Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. For more information on Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., please visit www.dsus.com.

(1) American Heart Association. 2004 High Blood Pressure Statistics. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4621. Accessed August 27, 2008

(2) Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR et al. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. JAMA. 2003;289:2560-2572

(3) American Heart Association. 2004 High Blood Pressure Statistics http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4621. Site accessed August 28, 2008.

(4) Kearney PM, et al. Global burden of hypertension: analysis of worldwide data. Lancet 2005, 365:217-23

    For more information, please contact:

    Alyssa Dargento
    Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.
    Office: 973.630.2913
    Cell: 973.641.1135
    adargento@dsus.com

SOURCE Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.