ePocrates Survey Reveals Psychiatrists Expect to Increase Usage of Abilify.

SAN MATEO, Calif. -- SAN MATEO, Calif., June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a survey conducted by ePocrates, an overwhelming majority of psychiatrists say that their usage of the anti-psychotic Abilify will increase based on the findings of a head-to-head clinical trial that pitted relative newcomer Abilify against category powerhouse Zyprexa.

The results of the head-to-head trial were presented at the 153rd Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. The trial results showed that a significantly greater number of patients with schizophrenia who were treated with Eli Lilly's Zyprexa experienced clinically significant weight gain compared to those treated with Bristol-Myers Squibb's Abilify with both drugs demonstrating comparable efficacy.

In order to gauge physicians' reactions to this news, ePocrates conducted a web-based survey among ePocrates network members. ePocrates surveyed 92 psychiatrists between May 23rd and May 25th, 2003. Respondents were selected at random from the ePocrates Honors(TM) panel of opted-in physicians. Nineteen respondents attended the APA conference. No significant differences were observed between those attending the conference and those not attending. Key survey findings are outlined below:

 
  -- 87% of the psychiatrists surveyed indicate that their usage of Abilify 
     will increase based on the results of the head-to-head trial. 
  -- Of the common adverse reactions associated with anti-psychotics, weight 
     gain is what concerns psychiatrists most by a factor of more than 
     2-to-1 over the second most concerning adverse reaction, "Somnolence." 
  -- Not surprisingly, when asked why they plan to increase their usage of 
     Abilify, the universal reason given is concern about Zyprexa's weight 
     gain profile compared to Abilify's weight neutral/weight loss profile. 
  -- 55% of those psychiatrists that say their usage of Abilify will 
     increase are high writers of Zyprexa, prescribing it for one-third or 
     more of their schizophrenic patients. 
  -- 99% of psychiatrists reported observing weight gain in the patients for 
     whom they prescribe Zyprexa while only 4% of psychiatrists report 
     weight gain among patients treated with Abilify. 

In the past year, physicians have looked up anti-psychotic drugs over 2.7 million times in ePocrates ...