Merck & Co. is entering the Hepatitis C market by targeting hard-to-treat and advanced stage patients; this approach opens up a new market space for the drug manufacturer instead of competing with Gilead Science’s Harvoni and/or Sovaldi or AbbVie Inc.’s Viekira Pak for patients in earlier stages of the disease. The advantage of Merck’s treatment beyond those currently available is its tolerance by patients with ‘substantial renal insufficiency,’ an important feature, as a large portion of patients on dialysis are Hep-C infected and no other treatment for this population exists today. Gilead is currently testing its drugs on patients with severe renal insufficiency, but is only approved for patients with mild or moderate kidney impairment (as is Viekira Pak). Merck is also investigating the additional avenue for identity by gaining approval for various subtypes of the virus: Genotypes 1, 4 and 6.  All three makers are currently working to develop a single treatment for all six subtypes of the disease.

You can learn more by reading the www.bloomberg.com article, MerckTargets Toughest Cases to Gain Hepatitis C Foothold

Script Care, Ltd. is the longest running privately held Pharmacy Benefit Manager in the industry. Since 1986, SCL has established tailored pharmacy systems for clients. We have been successful in conserving finite financial resources of our customers while at the same time consistently enhancing access to drugs through an extensive pharmacy network of over 65,500 pharmacies nationwide. Our approach, which incorporates innovative technological and clinical solutions tailored to enhance outcomes and health of clients, offers clients a low-risk, high-return option to enhance its offering and provide cost savings required to maintain and improve the viability of the program.

SCL is composed of five business lines including:

• SCL Pharmacy Benefit Management
• SCL Managed Care
• SCL Correctional Services
• SCL 340B CARE
• SCL Outsourced Business Services

SCL began operations as a PBM in 1986 and has since expanded to one of the largest privately held PBMs in the nation. At present, SCL remains a family-owned company. The combination of this consistency in management and our maintained independence has guaranteed that SCL's business ideology remains focused solely on our clients' needs.

Our integrated management and centralized business structure allows SCL to respond instantly and nimbly to changing market forces; as opposed to working new policies and procedures by means of layers of management and protocol, ideas and improvements from virtually any employment levels can be swiftly analyzed by Presidents and the CEO. This adaptability was just recently capitalized upon during the early stages of the development of the Affordable Care Act (ACA); by analyzing current operating procedures and their anticipated adherence to changing policies, SCL had the ability to respond instantly to the ACA regulations and avoid any clambering to "catch up" to industry expectations. In doing so, we removed the possibility of putting additional stress on our clients as they resolved their own ACA compliance procedures.

Lastly, not only does our structure allow for flexibility and adaptability, but our independence demands it. SCL does not have the external revenue streams that can help finance underperformance in other PBMs (ie. investors, mail order spread, drug manufacturer revenue, etc.) Instead, our effectiveness is derived entirely on the satisfaction of existing and potential clients, ensuring continuous thought innovation, market research and an authentic focus on client satisfaction. This absence of outside, investor funding additionally enables SCL to concentrate on lasting, strategic success instead of quarterly earnings figures.

Simply put, SCL's size and design creates a company that is not only proud of our capacity to offer outstanding product and services, but also one that appreciates the immediate connection that your success has on our own ongoing operations.