Elsevier's MEDalternatives Offers Additional Cost Saving Options For Payers And Members

TAMPA, Florida, February 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

New comprehensive resource for drug therapy options and costs helps health plan payers and members save on drug spend with information on alternative therapies

Elsevier's Gold Standard, a leading drug information provider, today announced the launch of the MEDalternatives™ database, a comprehensive resource for drug therapy options designed to give health plans and their members additional drug cost savings options through access to information on alternative therapies. MEDalternatives uses only evidence-based alternatives that have comparable or better efficacy and safety, compared to current prescriptions.

MEDalternatives covers a broad range of health conditions and the widest scope of medications, including a complete offering of drugs, drug classes, and product formulations. It returns alternatives within the class of the patient's current medication and across classes, including both generics and brands, and also provides therapeutically appropriate choices among subclasses of drugs.

MEDalternatives includes complete dosing options to ensure accurate comparisons in daily/weekly regimens and monthly/yearly costs, including those for in-store purchase versus mail-order delivery.

"MEDalternatives delivers a unique payer solution that identifies safe and cost- effective medication alternatives for achieving therapy compliance and prescription cost savings," said Marianne Messer, President, Elsevier's Gold Standard. "This will help our payer and PBM clients reduce prescription drug costs, particularly those who have already maximized their brand-to-generic switching, and improve medication adherence."

MEDalternatives helps:

• Simplify drug regimens and drive down costs for payers and patients
• Improve compliance for healthier and less expensive outcomes
• Payers control prescription costs by offering therapeutic alternatives on brand-to-brand drugs, as well as brand-to-generic drugs
• Payers educate providers and members on where savings can be attained on drugs
• PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers) enforce formulary compliance
• Help providers identify alternative therapies to reduce costs
• Guide consumers toward more affordable, safer and more effective medication options
• Involve consumers in these choices, knowing that cost and convenience play a central role in adherence to treatment
• Prepare consumers to discuss options with their healthcare providers
• Boost patients' satisfaction with their drug benefits

MEDalternatives is derived from the most technologically sophisticated drug database available today and will easily integrate within and across diverse healthcare systems.

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