INDICES> Celecoxib

[Joel Lexchin <joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca>]

 More on celecoxib:
IMS HEALTH REPORTS U.S. CELEBREX PRESCRIPTIONS DISPENSED 
REACH 334,701 FOR  WEEK ENDING APRIL 9
> 
More than 156,000 Sales Representative Visits to Doctors 
Through February
 
Contact:  In the U.S.:  Nancy Duckwitz, (610) 834-5338
In the U.K.:  Michael Gury, +44 171-393-5864

LONDON, April 16, 1999 ó IMS HEALTH (NYSE:RX) today 
reported that for the week ending April 9, total Celebrex 
prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. reached 334,701, up 
slightly from prescriptions written the previous week
> (332,106). IMS HEALTHís regular weekly prescription 
activity report covering the week ending April 9 becomes 
available on Monday, April 19.

 IMS HEALTH is the worldís leading provider of information 
solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
 
In the thirteen weeks since its introduction in the U.S., 
a total of 2.5  million Celebrex prescriptions have been 
dispensed ñ compared to 2.7 million prescriptions written 
for Viagra in its first 13 weeks on the market.
> 
The majority of Celebrex prescriptions continues to be new 
prescriptions, representing 73 percent of prescribing for 
the week ending April 9.
> 
According to IMS HEALTH, the majority of office-based 
physicans prescribing Celebrex are Primary Care Physicians, 
who wrote 58 percent of prescriptions the week ending April 
2, followed by Orthopedic Surgeons (24 percent of 
prescriptions written) and Rheumatologists (12 percent of 
prescriptions written). Although Celebrex is indicated for 
the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, 
office-based physicians are four times more likely to 
prescribe the drug for osteoarthritis.
> 
To promote Celebrex to physicians in the U.S., co-marketers 
Searle and  Pfizer have initiated a series of sales 
representative visits to doctors  offices. IMS HEALTH 
reported that Searle and Pfizer sales 
representatives have conducted more than 156,000 discussions 
on Celebrex with U.S.-based  physicians through February 
1999. Among the key topics covered in these
> face-to-face meetings were the drugís efficacy, dosing, 
indications and side effects.  The average length of detail 
meetings for Celebrex was 9.8  minutes, compared to the 
overall industry average of 4.7 minutes.
> _____________________________________
> Joel Lexchin
> 
> Joel Lexchin MD
> 121 Walmer Rd.
> Toronto, Ontario
> CANADA M5R 2X8
> Phone:  (416)-964-7186
> Fax:  (416)-923-9515
> e mail:  joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca
> 
> 
> 


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