As a Result of the Jupiter Trial, 65 Percent of Surveyed MCO Pharmacy Directors Will Reimburse Crestor for Patients with Elevated hsCRP

Percentage of Clinicians Performing hsCRP Testing Will Increase Dramatically Over the Next Six Months, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ — Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, as a result of the JUPITER clinical trial, 65 percent of surveyed managed care organizations’ (MCO) pharmacy directors say they will reimburse AstraZeneca’s Crestor for healthy patients with elevated levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). The JUPITER trial enrolled apparently healthy subjects without high LDL cholesterol but with elevated hsCRP and randomized subjects to receive Crestor or placebo. Trial data showed a 44 percent reduction in major cardiovascular events and reduced all-cause mortality by 20 percent among participants receiving Crestor.

The new Physician & Payer Forum report entitled The JUPITER Trial: Will Physicians and Payers Support a Change in Statin Prescribing? finds that 15 percent of surveyed MCO pharmacy directors will grant Crestor more favorable tier status in light of the trial. Crestor is currently on tier one of only 10 percent of surveyed MCO private health plans, while Pfizer’s Lipitor is on tier one of 30 percent of surveyed MCO plans. Additionally, among Medicare prescription drug plans, Crestor has the highest rate of coverage among branded statins.

“Our findings suggest that in response to the JUPITER trial data, many clinicians will start using a statin ahead of diet and exercise changes,” said Decision Resources Analyst Graeme Green, Ph.D. “Most of these clinicians will favor Crestor for these patients, indicating that AstraZeneca will benefit the most from such a trend.”

The report finds that, in response to JUPITER trial data, the percentage of clinicians performing hsCRP testing will increase dramatically over the next six months among patients with and without cardiovascular risk factors. Surveyed clinicians anticipate that the percentage of patients with no cardiovascular risk factors tested for elevated hsCRP will increase from 5 percent in July 2008, to 26 percent in July 2009. The percentage of patients with two or more cardiovascular risk factors tested by primary care physicians for hsCRP will increase from 16 percent in July 2008 to 40 percent in July 2009.

The JUPITER Trial: Will Physicians and Payers Support a Change in Statin Prescribing? is based on a U.S. survey of 71 primary care physicians, 72 cardiologists and 20 MCO pharmacy directors. Their responses were compared to assess similarities and differences of opinion regarding clinical, economic and scientific factors.

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    Decision Resources                           Decision Resources, Inc.
    Christopher Comfort                          Elizabeth Marshall
    781-296-2597                                 781-296-2563
    ccomfort@dresources.com                      emarshall@dresources.com

SOURCE Decision Resources