Blue Cross of California Offers Members Significant Savings on New Over-the-Counter...

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 23, 2002

Coupon Program Makes Alavert(TM) Available at a Cost of $11

for a One-Month Supply

Blue Cross of California today announced the implementation of a program

that will offer its members substantial savings on the price of Alavert, a new over-the-counter (OTC) brand of loratadine, the most popular non-sedating antihistamine drug in the world. Alavert is now available in the same 10 mg strength that was previously available only with a doctor's prescription.

Dr. Robert Seidman, Blue Cross' chief pharmacy officer, said the availability of the new OTC Alavert will help make controlling allergy symptoms more economical and convenient. "We have entered into a strategic partnership with Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, the marketer of Alavert, to offer discount coupons for this popular drug to our members."

Blue Cross is sending information about this program to all of its members who have received prescriptions for Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec or Clarinex during the past six months. Included in this mailing are three Alavert coupons with a redemption value of $10 each towards the purchase of Alavert tablets in a convenient, quick-dissolving form that can be taken with or without water. Using these coupons will allow its members to purchase Alavert at a cost that is less than the average Blue Cross brand name drug co-payment.

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare's suggested retail price for a 48-count Alavert package is approximately $27, which equates to a cost of approximately 57 cents per tablet. With the coupon, the cost of Alavert will be 35 cents per tablet or about $11 for a one-month supply.

"Prescription costs are increasing at a rate that is not sustainable," said Seidman. "This is part of an ongoing effort to help protect the affordability of health benefits. This is good news for our members who now have a choice of safe, effective, affordable non-sedating antihistamines without a doctor's prescription or co-payments.

"Historically, the higher cost of prescription antihistamines and physician office visits have been paid, in part, by our members through their health insurance premiums," said Seidman. "The movement to OTC non-sedating antihistamines helps us mitigate the rise in health insurance premiums. It also helps us direct resources to life-essential medications developed by the pharmaceutical industry in other therapeutic classes."

In May of 2001, an expert advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec were safe to be sold over-the-counter without a doctor's prescription. Claritin and Alavert, both containing 10 mg loratadine, are the first of these products to take advantage of OTC status. "Blue Cross is hopeful that Allegra, Zyrtec and Clarinex will move to over-the-counter status in the near future, further reducing costs for America's 40 million allergy sufferers," said Seidman.

Blue Cross of California and its California affiliates, with more than 6.7 million medical members, is an operating subsidiary of WellPoint Health Networks Inc. (NYSE:WLP), one of the nation's largest publicly traded health care companies. WellPoint serves the health care needs of more than 13 million medical members and approximately 46 million specialty members nationally. WellPoint offers a broad spectrum of quality network-based health products including open access PPO, POS and hybrid products, HMO and specialty products. Specialty products include pharmacy benefit management, dental, utilization management, vision, mental health, life and disability insurance, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, COBRA administration, and Medicare supplements. Blue Cross of California may be found on the web at www.bluecrossca.com. Blue Cross of California is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Association.