Merz Pharmaceuticals Introduces Comprehensive Programs To Provide Patients With Financial Assistance For Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA)

Programs Feature Simple Enrollment And Meaningful Financial Assistance

Greensboro, N.C., March 8, 2011/PRNewswire/ – Merz Pharmaceuticals today announced the launch of two programs to provide financial assistance to patients for their treatment with Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA). XEOMIN is a botulinum toxin type A free from accessory proteins that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with cervical dystonia, to decrease the severity of abnormal head position and neck pain in both botulinum toxin-naïve and previously treated patients.  XEOMIN is also approved for the treatment of adults with blepharospasm who were previously treated with onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox).

The XEOMIN Patient Co-payment Program is easy-to-use and offers eligible patients assistance for their actual out-of-pocket costs for therapeutic treatment with XEOMIN. Eligible treatment-related costs may include the cost of XEOMIN, associated guidance therapy and related administration fees.

Merz also announced the launch of the XEOMIN Patient Assistance Program, a program to provide XEOMIN at no cost to eligible patients who are experiencing financial hardship and who do not have third party drug coverage.

Enrollment in the XEOMIN Patient Co-payment Program or the XEOMIN Patient Assistance Program is simple. Patients who want to learn more about the programs and secure an application form can do so by calling 1-888-4-XEOMIN (1-888-493-6646) or by speaking with their healthcare provider. Dedicated support representatives are available from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday.

“By offering a continuum of XEOMIN financial assistance programs, our hope is to help patients manage their cervical dystonia and blepharospasm costs by reducing or eliminating financial obstacles that may prevent initiation or continuation of treatment,” said Jack Britts, President and CEO of Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC. “At Merz, we understand how difficult it can be to live with chronic conditions like cervical dystonia and blepharospasm, and we are committed to helping people regardless of their financial or healthcare coverage status. We designed our assistance programs to be easy to navigate and to help alleviate patients’ financial burdens for their XEOMIN treatment costs.”

About Dystonia
Dystonias are movement disorders in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. These movements, which are involuntary and sometimes painful, may affect a single muscle (focal), a group of muscles such as those in the arms, legs, or neck (segmental), or even the entire body (generalized). Symptoms can be mild or severe and dystonias may be markedly disabling.

Although dystonia is thought to be rare, it is possibly undiagnosed or misdiagnosed due to lack of specific clinical criteria. While focal dystonia, such as blepharospasm or cervical dystonia can affect people at any age, most people first experience symptoms in middle age.

According to an epidemiology study conducted in Rochester, Minn., focal dystonia (which includes cervical dystonia, and may be characterized by twisting of the neck, and blepharospasm, or excessive eyelid spasm) is estimated to affect 295 per million people in the U.S.

About XEOMIN
In nature, Clostridium botulinum produces the toxin in association with ancillary accessory proteins. Manufacturers utilize this naturally occurring protein complex to produce therapeutic botulinum toxin products. Merz has introduced XEOMIN (incobotulinumtoxinA), manufactured using a proprietary process that isolates the therapeutic component and eliminates accessory proteins.

More than 84,000 patients have been treated with XEOMIN worldwide since 2005.  The U.S. is the 20th country to approve XEOMIN for the treatment of cervical dystonia and blepharospasm.

XEOMIN is the only botulinum toxin that does not require refrigeration prior to reconstitution. XEOMIN is available in 50-unit and 100-unit vials, which Merz believes may allow for more precise billing and reduce wastage.