Review finds more than half of MS patients are overweight or obese
WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) today
said it is working to help Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients manage their
weight after reviewing data that found more than half of individuals with MS
can be classified as being either overweight or obese. A recent review of CVS
Caremark health management clients' plan participants with MS, found 32
percent reported height and weight indicating they were overweight and 26
percent reported measurements that classified them as clinically obese. The
study also found that compared to those individuals with MS of normal weight,
individuals with MS who are overweight or obese have an increased risk for
high cholesterol (overweight = 1.4 times/obese = 1.7 times at-risk), high
blood pressure (overweight = 1.6 times/obese = 2.4 times), diabetes
(overweight = 2 times/obese = 4.9 times), and coronary artery disease
(overweight = 1.6 times/obese = 1.7 times).
"Weight management can be particularly difficult for patients with
Multiple Sclerosis who may be dealing with reduced mobility as a result of the
progressive nature of their disease," said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H.,
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark. "In
addition, the co-morbid conditions commonly associated with being overweight
or obese can add an additional burden for these patients already living with
an unpredictable and chronic condition."
The study followed MS patients enrolled in condition management support
within the CVS Caremark Health Management program who were identified as being
overweight or obese over a two-year period. At the end of the study period,
almost one quarter (22 percent) of participants had experienced a two-point
drop in BMI and an additional 11 percent had a 3-point or more reduction in
BMI.
"Our Proactive Pharmacy Care approach enables us to offer our clients a
variety of programs such as CVS Caremark Health Management, which engages
participants in their health care, provides education and promotes
self-management to help improve health, minimize complications, slow disease
progression and reduce medical costs such as hospital admissions and ER visits
over the long term," said Dr. Brennan.
The CVS Caremark condition management approach is focused on achieving
best-in-class results by engaging and motivating participants with chronic
conditions to take a more active role and achieve optimum health care status
through regular counseling and support. The program provides support for a
variety of chronic diseases including multiple sclerosis, and patients
enrolled in the program receive personalized information and education from
highly skilled registered nurses through regularly scheduled out-bound calls,
mailings and electronic correspondence. The nurses also conduct assessments
to determine areas where patients may need additional support and then provide
customized information and interventions to help manage any identified issues
such as, treatment/medication adherence, symptom management or self care.
This study evaluated aggregated and de-identified data for more than 8,000
Multiple Sclerosis patients from the CVS Caremark Health Management Claims and
Survey Databases who had incurred claims between 10/01/06 and 09/31/08. All
study participants were continuously eligible for medical and pharmacy
benefits through the evaluation period. This analysis is an observational
study only, and the results from this analysis demonstrate a relationship
between MS, weight management, and other co-morbidities; however, as in most
observational studies, the causal nature of this relationship cannot be
strictly determined.
About CVS Caremark
CVS Caremark is the largest provider of prescriptions in the nation. The
Company fills or manages more than 1 billion prescriptions annually. Through
its unmatched breadth of service offerings, CVS Caremark is transforming the
delivery of health care services in the U.S. The Company is uniquely
positioned to effectively manage costs and improve health care outcomes
through its more than 6,900 CVS/pharmacy and Longs Drugs stores; its Caremark
Pharmacy Services division (pharmacy benefit management, mail order and
specialty pharmacy); its retail-based health clinic subsidiary, MinuteClinic;
and its online pharmacy, CVS.com. General information about CVS Caremark is
available through the Investor Relations section of the Company's Web site, at
www.cvscaremark.com/investors, as well as through the press room section of
the Company's Web site, at www.cvscaremark.com/newsroom.
Media Contact:
Steve Campanini Christine Cramer
CVS Caremark CVS Caremark
Corporate Communications Corporate Communications
(401) 770-5005 (401) 770-3317
SOURCE CVS Caremark Corporation
-0- 03/02/2009
/CONTACT: Steve Campanini, +1-401-770-5005, or Christine Cramer,
+1-401-770-3317, both of CVS Caremark, Corporate Communications/
/Web Site: http://www.cvscaremark.com /
(CVS)
CO: CVS Caremark Corporation
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