PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Completing its first three
months in the U.S. market, Pfizer's male impotence drug, Viagra, continues to
set new records. Total prescriptions dispensed for the three months were
2.9 million, with sales estimated at $259.5 million and forecasted to reach
$1 billion by March 1999, according to IMS HEALTH. Also, demand for the
product remains high despite lower than typical third-party coverage --
40 percent for Viagra versus 76 percent for all prescription drugs. IMS
HEALTH is the world's leading provider of information solutions to the
pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
Product Launch a Record
"Sales for Viagra set a new record for any prescription drug launch at
$182.2 million in the first two months," noted Myron Holubiak, general manager
of The Plymouth Group, the consulting arm of IMS HEALTH. It was nearly double
the sales of 1997's top five products combined for their respective first two
months.
The leading drug launches of 1997 included Lipitor, Rezulin, Aricept,
Viracept and Levaquin. The first two-months sales for these five products
combined was $94 million. Lipitor, launched in January of 1997, held first
place among this group and had sales of $12.4 million during its first two
months. The number one 1997 product in sales for its first two months was
Rezulin, at $28.1 million.
Third Party Coverage Lowest in Class
Third-party coverage for Viagra has been relatively low from the outset.
During its initial weeks in the marketplace, 50 percent of all Viagra
prescriptions dispensed were being paid entirely out-of-pocket with the other
50 percent receiving some level of third-party coverage. By the middle of
Viagra's second month, the mix had shifted to 59 percent out-of-pocket and 41
percent third-party. For the U.S. pharmaceutical market overall, only 24
percent of the total prescriptions dispensed are paid for entirely out-of-
pocket. Seventy-six percent receive some level of third-party payment.
"We predicted from the outset, that Viagra would be successful regardless
of third-party coverage," stated Holubiak. "It is a quality of life product
with immediate value to its users. Yet it seems that third-party pay
organizations don't place as much value on sexuality as a part of health
status as do their members or beneficiaries. However, because of the
importance of sexual function to the health and well-being perceived by
individuals, we believe Viagra will continue to receive strong demand."
Among all sexual function disorder products, prescriptions for Viagra also
are receiving the lowest third-party coverage. Current figures for Viagra
reveal that only 40 percent of the prescriptions dispensed are receiving
third-party coverage, with the majority, 60 percent, being paid entirely out-
of-pocket. These figures contrast sharply with the leading competing
products, Muse and Caverject, as well as with oral contraceptives. The
percentage of the prescriptions dispensed for Muse and Caverject currently
receiving third-party coverage are 78 percent and 68 percent respectively.
For oral contraceptives, 56 percent of the 64.5 million prescriptions
dispensed in 1997 had some level of third-party payment coverage, with 44
percent paid for entirely out-of-pocket.
Prescriber Profile Switched Early -- Primary Care Dominates
During its initial weeks on the market, 42 percent of the prescriptions
dispensed for Viagra were written by urologists, with 34 percent by primary
care physicians (including internists and endocrinologists). By the end of
the first month, this mix shifted with 32 percent of the prescriptions being
written by urologists and 48 percent by primary care physicians. For recent
weeks, the mix has been 26 percent and 55 percent respectively. For Muse, it
is the opposite profile with 52 percent by written urologists and 35 percent
by primary care physicians. The difference as compared to Caverject is even
greater with 68 percent of its prescriptions written by urologists and 20
percent by primary care physicians.
"Viagra is a much more convenient dosage form than the other agents,
allowing primary care physicians to become more involved in this type of
therapy," Holubiak commented. "The subject of sexual function appears to now
have become a part of the general medical interview, and primary care
physicians are recognizing that they must be ready to address it."
Initial Patient Profile Consistent with Market Overall
Early figures, from the patient anonymous data studied, reveal that the
age profile of Viagra users is comparable to the mix prior to Viagra's
introduction. For its first two months, approximately 42 percent of the
patients were 40 to 59 years old, the same as it was for the pre-Viagra
market. Approximately three percent of the patients are 20 to 39 years old,
12.9 percent 60 to 64 years old, and 28.5 percent 65 to 74 years old.
Total Prescriptions Decrease; Refill Growth Continues
The total prescriptions dispensed for Viagra's third month in the U.S.
market were estimated at 1.0 million as compared to 598,000 and 1.25 million
for the first and second months respectively. The total number of
prescriptions dispensed for the last two weeks of June held steady at 219,458
for the week ending June 19 and 217,625 for the week ending June 26. While
the total number of prescriptions dispensed declined May to June, the number
of refills continues to grow.
For the week ending June 26, the total number of refill prescriptions for
Viagra continued their uninterrupted increase reaching 75,748 for the week as
compared to 67,689 for the prior week. The earlier Viagra refills were 63,323
and 64,781 for the week ending June 5 and June 12 respectively. The average
number of pills per prescription has remained fairly steady at 8.5, which is
below the more than 10 pills per prescription during Viagra's initial weeks on
the market (NOTE: Actual number of pills in a prescription is a whole number,
as partial tablets are not dispensed).
"A key barometer to measure the market demand and acceptance of Viagra
will be the refill rate of prescriptions," Holubiak remarked. "It provides
insight into how consumers like the results and how they are reacting to news
about the product. The time it takes a consumer to decide to get a refill
will have a major impact on the ultimate sales of Viagra."
IMS HEALTH
IMS HEALTH is the world's leading provider of information solutions to the
pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. With more than $1 billion in 1997
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; technologies systems and information services that
support managed care organizations.
Additional information and previous press releases are available at IMS
HEALTH's Web site: http://www.imshealth.com.
SOURCE IMS HEALTH
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CONTACT:
Gary Friend, 610-834-5654, or Nancy Duckwitz,
610-834-5338, both of IMS HEALTH
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