Premier Awards Agreement for First in New Class of Acute Heart Failure Medication
Scios' Natrecor Offered to Premier Hospital Members
CHICAGO, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ --
Hospitals and their clinicians in Premier, Inc. health alliance can now purchase a new medication for acute heart failure medication more cost- effectively. Premier awarded Scios Inc. (Nasdaq: SCIO) a three-year contract for its recently U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug, Natrecor(R) (nasiritide).
Recently cleared by the FDA for marketing, Natrecor is the first drug approved in the last 14 years to treat patients with acutely decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF). Patients with this serious disease suffer from shortness of breath, swelling (edema) of the legs and arms, and fatigue. Natrecor is indicated to improve breathing and reduce pressure on the heart.
"Healthcare advances move at such a rapid pace and Premier continues to seek out new developments that enable our members to improve patient care. Because the options for managing acute heart failure have been limited, we expect this product to be welcomed," said Howard Sanders, senior executive responsible for Premier Group Purchasing Services. "Scios' contract gives our members early access to this medication advance at competitive pricing and terms."
Premier is a healthcare alliance of nearly 1,600 not-for-profit hospitals and health systems committed to improving quality, enhancing safety, and reducing costs. Members receive favorable prices from Premier's group- purchasing contracts for supplies and newer technologies.
Congestive heart failure is a serious disease in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to other body organs. Blood backs up, causing swelling in various parts of the body. Fluid also collects in the lungs and interferes with breathing.
According to the American Heart Association, congestive heart failure is prevalent in nearly five million Americans and 550,000 new cases occur each year. Hospitalization costs for acute CHF are $15 billion annually.
For more information about this new business partner and its product, visit www.sciosinc.com.
About Premier
Premier, Inc., is a strategic alliance in U. S. healthcare, entirely owned by more than 200 of the nation's leading hospital and healthcare systems. These systems operate or are affiliated with nearly 1,600 hospital facilities in 50 states and hundreds of other care sites. Premier provides an array of resources supporting health services delivery. Among these resources are comprehensive supply chain management services, including group purchasing for more than $14 billion annually in supplies and equipment, with e-commerce enablement by medibuy.com. Other resources offered by Premier are insurance programs, performance improvement services of many kinds including healthcare informatics, clinical technology services, and physician practice management services. Premier is headquartered in San Diego, CA, with other major facilities in Chicago, IL, and Charlotte, NC. Advocacy and policy offices are located in Washington, DC. For more information, visit premierinc.com.
About Scios Inc.
Scios (Nasdaq: SCIO) is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for cardiovascular and inflammatory disease. The Company's disease-based technology platform integrates expertise in protein biology with computational and medicinal chemistry to identify novel targets and rationally design small molecule compounds for large markets with unmet medical needs.
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SOURCE Premier, Inc.
CO: Premier, Inc.; Scios Inc.
ST: Illinois
IN: HEA MTC
SU: CON
02/26/2002 09:16 EST prnewswire.com |
