ivpcare introduces Formulary Management for Hepatitis C Treatment

FRISCO, TX., April 8, 2004 - ivpcare announces the creation and launch of a new formulary management program for Hepatitis C. This program has been completed with the availability of generic ribavirin, approved April 6, 2004 by the FDA for the treatment of Hepatitis C.

This new Formulary Management program will be offered in addition to the already established CAP (Compliance, Adherence and Persistence) and DUW (Drug Utilization and Waste Management) programs offered by ivpcare. "ivpcare's specialty pharmacy services are best positioned to implement a program of this nature. Since the treatment for this disease includes pegylated interferon, marketed by two different brands and ribavirin, which now is offered as a generic drug, the opportunity for formulary management is key for payors nationwide. ivpcare now offers Therapeutic Interchange and Generic Substitution programs, which will result in great savings for payors managing this complex disease state", said Von Best, President and CEO, for ivpcare

ivpcare also offers a comprehensive Drug Therapy Management program for Hepatitis C patients that includes:

•  Patient Counseling and Educational information at the initiation of treatment

•  Clinical Management process, including Genotype driven protocols

•  Prior Authorization process

•  Insurance and Benefits clearing house

•  Toll free Patient Access to pharmacists and nurses 24 hours a day/7 days a week

•  Regular calls to patients from DTM Coordinators

•  Coordination with physicians and nursing staff as needed

•  Online Refill Processing and Private Chats with pharmacists and DTM coordinators through our award winning website at www.ivpcare.com

About Hepatitis C

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most important causes of chronic liver disease in the United States. It accounts for about 15 percent of acute viral Hepatitis, 60 to 70 percent of chronic Hepatitis, and up to 50 percent of cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and liver cancer. Almost 4 million Americans, or 1.8 percent of the U.S. population, have antibody to HCV (anti-HCV), indicating ongoing or previous infection with the virus. Hepatitis C causes an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 deaths annually in the United States. The therapy for chronic hepatitis C has evolved steadily since alpha interferon was first approved for use in this disease more than 10 years ago. At the present time, the optimal regimen appears to be a 24 or 48 week course of the combination of pegylated alpha interferon and ribavirin.

About Ribavirin

According to Medscape, oral ribavirin is used in conjunction with interferon alfa-2b, peginterferon alfa-2a, or peginterferon alfa-2b for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with compensated liver disease who are treatment-naive (have not previously received interferon alfa therapy). Although therapy with oral ribavirin alone is not effective for the treatment of chronic HCV infection, use of the drug in conjunction with an interferon alfa preparation has been shown to increase the rate of sustained response (i.e., absence of detectable HCV RNA in the serum as shown by a qualitative HCV RNA assay with lower limit of detection of 50 International Units/mL or less at 24 weeks after the end of antiviral therapy) by 2 to 3 fold and decrease the rate of relapse following discontinuance of therapy. The highest rates of sustained virologic response and the lowest rates of relapse have been achieved with concomitant use of peginterferon alfa and oral ribavirin. Consequently, concomitant therapy with a pegylated interferon alfa preparation and oral ribavirin currently is the regimen of choice for initial treatment of chronic HCV infection in treatment-naive patients and also is recommended for patients who fail to achieve sustained virologic response (i.e., nonresponders) following nonconjugated interferon alfa monotherapy or concomitant therapy with nonconjugated interferon alfa and oral ribavirin.

ivpcare is the largest privately held national specialty pharmacy offering clinical services and distribution of pharmaceuticals developed for chronic therapeutic indications.  ivpcare provides comprehensive programs for patients, physicians, payors and pharmaceutical manufacturers for a growing number of disease states including hepatitis C, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease and others.  Headquartered in Frisco, Texas, ivpcare has distribution facilities there, as well as in Torrance, Calif., St. Louis, Mo., and Wilmington, Mass.