Thomson Healthcare And PhRMA Expand Partnership To Inform Physicians About Partnership For Prescription Assistance

Thomson Healthcare, the publisher of the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR), and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) have expanded their partnership to reach thousands of physicians with information about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA).

Forged in 2005, this partnership launched an innovative campaign that leveraged online, print and mobile technologies to reach the largest audience of prescribers with information about the PPA. The expanded partnership brings new information tools to prescribers, including a DVD which includes a tutorial for doctors explaining the PPA and icons within the PDR index that distinguish which drugs are currently offered through a patient assistance program. This handy feature will enable prescribing physicians to quickly and easily connect their patients and eligible prescription drugs.

The PPA, sponsored by America's pharmaceutical research companies, is the largest private-sector effort to help low-income uninsured and underinsured people learn how they may apply to obtain their medicines through more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. More than 2,500 brand-name and generic prescription medicines are currently available through the participating programs. Since the launch of the PPA in April 2005, the PPA has helped more than 4.3 million patients.

Thomson Healthcare's Xpert Alerts program delivers advisories about breaking medical and pharmaceutical news and information to more than 240,000 prescribers who are part of the PDR's electronic audience. Xpert Alerts are delivered to subscribers' PDAs via Thomson Healthcare Clinical Xpert, a recently launched mobile medical reference and decision-support tool, and via e-mail and PDR.net.

This year's PPA campaign again will include space advertisements in the 2008 Physicians' Desk Reference print volume, as well as Xpert Alerts messages broadcast to all prescribers in PDR's electronic audience. The effort will reach over half a million prescribers.

"The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is continuing to make tremendous inroads by assisting struggling Americans who need it most," said Billy Tauzin, President and CEO of PhRMA. "Our partnership with Thomson Healthcare is an ideal way for us to reach physicians and other healthcare providers across the country and inform them that the PPA may be able to help their patients obtain access to programs which provide the medicines they prescribe. PDR is a trusted name in prescription drug information, and we are pleased to partner with Thomson Healthcare to mobilize a concerted campaign to spread the word about the PPA."

"Thomson Healthcare is committed to providing the pharmaceutical industry with comprehensive, measurable and cost-effective channels for communicating critical information about their products, clinical trials and drug updates to prescribing physicians," said Bob Cullen, President and CEO of Thomson Healthcare. "We are pleased to extend our partnership with America's pharmaceutical research companies to advance the cause of the PPA, which is so important to improving the overall health of Americans."

About Thomson Healthcare
Thomson Healthcare is the leading provider of decision support solutions that help organizations across the healthcare industry improve clinical and business performance. Thomson Healthcare products and services help clinicians, hospitals, employers, health plans, government agencies, and pharmaceutical companies understand healthcare markets, access medical and drug information, manage costs, and improve the quality of healthcare. Thomson Healthcare is a part of The Thomson Corporation, a provider of value-added information, software tools and applications to professionals in the fields of healthcare, law, tax, accounting, scientific research, and financial services. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.thomsonhealthcare.com.

SOURCE: Thomson Healthcare