Generic Medication Savings Opportunities Grow

BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Aug. 14, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With generic equivalents of Zocor(R) and Zoloft(R) being made available this summer, and other brand name drugs doing the same by the end of the year, CIGNA Pharmacy Management (CPM) has said that consumers can expect one of the greatest savings opportunities in the history of pharmacy benefits.

Zocor and Zoloft are two of the most popular medications in the country. Pravachol(R), Zithromax(R), Flonase(R) and Mobic(R) have also recently gone generic, and generic versions of Effexor(R), Ambien(R), Lamisil(R), Norvasc(R), Clarinex(R) and others are expected by the beginning of next year. According to the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, after generic medications have been on the market for several months, a generic prescription can be as much as 80% less expensive than its brand name counterpart.

"In 2007, we expect our customers and their employees to be able to save over $58 million on the cost of their prescriptions, due to new generics. This is the largest savings opportunity we have seen since pharmacy benefits became popular in this country in the 1970s," said Thom Stambaugh, R.Ph., MBA and chief pharmacy officer for CIGNA Pharmacy Management. "Because consumers are taking more responsibility for their health care decisions, these potential savings are more significant than ever."

Generic medications can be a good choice for many consumers, because they offer therapeutically equivalent benefits at a reduced cost. CPM has several Save with Generics programs to encourage consumers and their doctors to consider these cost-effective treatment options. Because of these programs, generic utilization among CIGNA members is expected to exceed 58% by the end of 2006, which is among the industry's highest generic prescription utilization rates.

Under one of these programs, members who fill a brand name prescription that has a generic counterpart are sent a letter informing them of their potential savings if they switch to the generic alternative for their next refill. Another program is designed to show prescribing physicians where there might be opportunities to help their patients save money by changing their prescriptions from brand name drugs to less expensive generic therapeutic alternative medications. These are generic medications that are in the same therapeutic class as the brand counterpart and have a similar clinical effect, but have a different chemical composition.

CIGNA members who fill a prescription for a brand name medication for depression, stomach acid, arthritis pain, diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure also receive a letter encouraging them to speak with their physician to determine if a generic medication might be right for them. If they obtain a new prescription for a generic medication, their co- pay/coinsurance is reduced by up to $20 at the pharmacy when they fill that new prescription.

Stambaugh points out that savings from these programs will only increase as more brand name medications go off-patent and generic equivalents come onto the market over the next several months.

To help members make informed decisions about their health care, including their prescription choices, CIGNA has created powerful information tools and resources. Members can access these online pharmacy tools at their personal Web site http://www.mycigna.com/. The tools include:

   DrugCompare(TM):  Allows members to make side-by-side comparisons of
   prescription drugs for average drug costs, side effects and drug
   interactions.  It also provides a variety of questions members may want
   to ask their physicians about their medications.  The tool helps people
   have more informed discussions with doctors about their drug treatment
   options.

   Prescription Price Quote Tool:  Allows members to get a "real-time" price
   quote from any pharmacy in CIGNA's network of over 54,000 retail
   pharmacies nationwide as well as from the CIGNA Tel-Drug home delivery
   pharmacy. The quote is based on the member's specific benefit plan and
   reflects the actual cost the member can expect to pay out-of-pocket for a
   given prescription drug as well as any generic equivalent at a specific
   pharmacy.

   CIGNA Prescription Drug List and My Prescription Drug Benefits:  These
   tools allow members to review the list of CIGNA covered medications and
   their CIGNA pharmacy benefit coverage before visiting the doctor.
   Members and physicians are then better able to determine which medication
   might be appropriate based on benefit plan design and clinical needs.

"Consumers are clearly saying that they want a combination of 'high-tech' and 'high-touch' when it comes to getting information about their health. The combination of our Save with Generics programs with our consumer decision support tools is designed to address those needs," concluded Stambaugh.

"CIGNA Pharmacy Management" refers to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI) . Products and services are provided by these subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation. These subsidiaries include Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Tel-Drug, Inc., Tel-Drug of Pennsylvania, L.L.C., and HMO or service company subsidiaries of CIGNA Health Corporation.

Cautionary Statement For Purposes of the "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

CIGNA and its representatives may from time to time make forward-looking statements, which may contain information about financial prospects, economic conditions, trends and other uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information available to management at the time the statements are or were made. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words "believe," "expect," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "may," "should," or similar expressions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. CIGNA cautions that actual results could differ materially from those that management expects, depending on the outcome of certain factors discussed in CIGNA's Form 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2006, including the Cautionary Statement in Management's Discussion and Analysis and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CIGNA does not assume any obligation to update any forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/165050.html