Prescription Solutions achieves overall generic prescription drug penetration rate of 68.8 percent

Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefits management (PBM) organization and a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, has achieved an industry-leading overall generic prescription drug penetration rate of 68.8 percent year-to-date for 2009.

According to an annual industry study of employer groups conducted by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI) and sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the overall use of generic drugs by consumers has reached its highest levels to date: 63.5 percent for retail prescriptions and 53.6 percent for mail service. By comparison, Prescription Solutions’ generic usage of 68.7 percent for retail prescriptions and 71.3 percent for mail service surpass rates typically achieved by employers as reported in the PBMI study and leads other large PBMs.

"Our overall retail and mail generic usage rates compare favorably with the PBMI study, another indicator of our success in providing our clients a quality, cost-effective drug benefit,” said Jacqueline Kosecoff, CEO of Prescription Solutions. “Generic medications provide strong value by lowering the per-member-per-month cost for health plans while also lowering the net drug cost for the consumer.”

Prescription Solutions encourages people to use generics through a variety of incentives, which include:

• benefit designs such as reduced or zero co-pays for generics at mail service;
• a generic sampling program for physicians;
• physician and patient education;
• real-time Web tool for Medicare Part D customers that compares retail with mail order pricing and brand with generic pricing;
• consultation with UnitedHealthcare and other Prescription Solutions employer group customers on optimal design of their prescription formularies/Prescription Drug Lists (PDL) and overall formulary management; and,
• new products such as Value Optimizer for employers desiring a lower-cost formulary.

Generic dispensing rates for retail and mail-service prescriptions have climbed steadily, according to the PBMI study. PBMI’s annual Prescription Drug Benefit Cost and Plan Design Report is considered a leading plan design survey of U.S. employers that has been sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America since 2001. More than 400 employers representing more than 7 million people completed the survey in May and June 2009.