Study Links Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Adherence to Improved Medical Outcomes and Lower Costs

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PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who regularly adhere to their prescription drug regimen have fewer emergency room and doctor visits and incur lower medical costs, according to research presented today by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) at the American College of Rheumatology's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. The study examined differences in RA patient medication adherence, use of medical services, and treatment costs when patients using either adalimumab (Humira^®) or etanercept (Enbrel^®) obtained these medications through specialty or retail pharmacies.

"This study fills a research void for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. While many studies have shown an association between increased adherence, better clinical outcomes, and lower costs in non-specialty medications, this study is one of the first to show a link between specialty pharmacy management in patients with RA and these outcomes." said Dr. Jane F. Barlow, lead author and vice president of Medical Strategy and Clinical Quality at Medco. "The research also showed that specialty pharmacy patients used fewer medical services suggesting better control of the disease."

The study compared the medical and pharmacy claims of 4,388 patients with RA who filled their prescriptions for adalimumab or etanercept through a specialty pharmacy or through a retail pharmacy from 2006 to 2008. After 2 years, patients who used a specialty pharmacy had a 16.0 percent higher adherence rate and on average, had $1,534 lower annual medical costs than those using a retail pharmacy. The reductions in medical service costs were tied to physician and ER visits. The study also found that because of the more consistent use of medications by specialty patients, medication costs adjusted to average wholesale price were higher.

"The study only measured direct medical costs, but indirect costs of RA from disability and absenteeism are a big factor for employers when they have employees with RA," Barlow said. "Specialty pharmacies can mitigate medical and indirect costs, which can offset the cost of the medications." The indirect costs for RA patients from lost productivity can be as much or more as the direct medical costs.

RA afflicts 1.3 million
Approximately 1.3 million patients have RA, which is characterized by pain and swelling in the joints driven by the body's immune system attacking the lining of the joints. Joint destruction for RA patients can occur within two years of the onset of the disease. The condition can strike at any age, but most commonly begins between 35-50 years of age. Women are more than twice as likely to be affected by the condition as men. RA is the leading cause of disability in the US and severely disables about 10 percent of all patients. It decreases life expectancy by three to seven years with heart disease, infection, and gastro-intestinal bleeding accounting for most of those deaths. Improved treatment has slowed the progression of the disease and allows the vast majority of patients to live normal lives. TNF inhibitors, which are commonly prescribed for the condition, help interfere with inflammation associated with RA and other autoimmune disorders, such as Crohn's disease and moderate-to-severe cases of plaque psoriasis.

For more information about this study and other Medco research efforts, please visit www.medcoresearch.com.

About Accredo Health
Accredo Health Group, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medco Health Solutions, Inc., is the nation's largest specialty pharmacy dedicated to providing an enhanced level of personalized service to patients with chronic and complex disease. Drugs dispensed by Accredo, which are often biotechnology drugs, frequently require special handling and clinical services to ensure the drugs are properly administered to promote patient safety and health.

About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the world's most advanced pharmacy^® and its clinical research and innovations are part of Medco making medicine smarter for more than 60 million members.

With more than 20,000 employees dedicated to improving patient health and reducing costs for a wide range of public and private sector clients, and 2008 revenue exceeding $51 billion, Medco ranks 45th on the Fortune 500 list and is named among the world's most innovative, most admired and most trustworthy companies.

For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Medco

Web site: http://www.medcoresearch.com/

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