YARDLEY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 9, 2003--Spending to promote attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) therapies increased dramatically between 1997 and 2002, skyrocketing from $8.8 million to $259.1 million, according to the spring 2003 issue of Verispan's Pharmaceutical Quarterly.

"Paying Attention to the ADHD Market" notes that this increase largely was due to the fact that only five ADHD products were being promoted in 1997, compared with 21 in 2002. Verispan reports that drug therapy was issued to treat ADHD at 96% of diagnosis visits in 2002, compared with 88% of such visits in 1992.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising also is helping to drive growth in the ADHD market, according to Verispan's promotional audits. Although no ADHD medicines were promoted directly to consumers in 1997, in 2002, DTC expenditures by two companies--Shire and McNeil--totaled $58.4 million, representing 23% of all promotional spending for ADHD drugs that year.

Other highlights from the current Pharmaceutical Quarterly include:

• "Pharmacia in the Pforecast"--Pfizer acquired Pharmacia in an all-stock deal worth nearly $60 billion. The new Pfizer is a leader in every major global market and is home to the world's largest privately funded biomedical research operation.
• "Fully Human"--Abbott launched Humira, the first fully human monoclonal antibody approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis. In clinical tests, Humira did not statistically differ from a placebo in rates of adverse effects.
• "Claritin Goes OTC"--Schering-Plough's Claritin line of nonsedating allergy products was launched at full prescription strength for over-the-counter use. Clarinex, the company's successor to Claritin, remains available by prescription only.

Each issue of Pharmaceutical Quarterly also includes a roundup of recent product approvals and summaries of major activity by brand-name, generic, biotechnology and bioinformatic companies. For more information, please contact editor Sharon Bender at sharon.bender@verispan.com or by phone at (800) 982-5613.

Verispan: The True Measure of Healthcare

Verispan, a health care informatics joint venture of Quintiles Transnational Corp. (Nasdaq:QTRN - News) and McKesson Corp., is the nation's leading provider of patient-level longitudinal data, with more than 2 billion annual de-identified pharmacy and medical transactions spanning virtually every pharmacy in the country. Verispan markets products and services formerly distributed by three well-known names in health care information: Kelly/Waldron, Scott-Levin and SMG. Verispan is headquartered in Yardley, Pa. The company's Web site is http://www.verispan.com/.

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Contact:

     Verispan, Yardley
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     Tom Liberta, 800/982-5613
     thomas.liberta@verispan.com
         or
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     Sharon Bender, 800/982-5613
     sharon.bender@verispan.com
         or
     http://www.verispan.com/