First-Line Use of Abilify Has More Than Doubled Over the Past Year for the Treatment of Newly-Diagnosed Patients in Bipolar Disorder

BURLINGTON, Mass., Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that first-line use of Bristol Myers-Squibb/Otsuka's Abilify has increased over the past year in newly-diagnosed patients from 4.1 percent patient share to 8.8 percent. According to Treatment Algorithms in Bipolar Disorder, uptake of Abilify in the first-line will continue among surveyed primary care physicians (PCPs): 26 percent of surveyed PCPs who prescribe Abilify indicate they expect to increase their first-line use of this agent over the next two years.

Overall use of Abilify is expected to increase over the next two years as well: 25 percent and 50 percent of surveyed psychiatrists and PCPs, respectively, expect their overall use of Abilify to increase. Surveyed physicians also indicate that use of AstraZeneca's Seroquel XR will grow substantially over the same time period with 28 percent of surveyed psychiatrists and 56 percent of surveyed PCPs expecting that their overall use of Seroquel XR will increase. Additional growth for Seroquel XR will be through greater use in the first line in both psychiatrists and PCPs: 29 percent of surveyed psychiatrists and 36 percent of surveyed PCPs who prescribe Seroquel XR indicate that they expect to increase their use of the agent in the first line over the next two years.

"In light of the anticipated increased use of Seroquel XR, we expect that AstraZeneca's Seroquel will lose some patient share to Seroquel XR, but that loss will not be large enough to unseat Seroquel from its lead position among atypicals. Uptake will be further challenged once generics of Seroquel become available in 2012," said Decision Resources Analysis Alana Simorellis, Ph.D. "Surveyed psychiatrists score Abilify preferentially in terms of risk of weight gain compared with Seroquel/Seroquel XR, which is likely one of the main contributors to Abilify's uptake within specialty care."

About Treatment Algorithm Insight Series

Decision Resources combines in-depth primary research with the most extensive claims-based longitudinal patient-level data from IMS LifeLink's Health Plans Claims database to provide exceptional insight into physicians' prescribing trends and the factors that drive therapy product choice, from diagnosis through multiple courses of treatment, for a specific disease.

About Decision Resources

Decision Resources (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.

About Decision Resources, Inc.

Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at www.DecisionResourcesInc.com.

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SOURCE Decision Resources

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