RESTON, Va., April 10, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a listing of the 20 most commonly searched health conditions as well as the 15 most commonly searched prescription brands in February 2008. The results, from comScore's custom search capability, revealed that the terms "pregnancy" and "cancer" were the two most frequently searched conditions, garnering 8.8 million and 7.7 million search queries respectively. That five of the 20 conditions (herpes, HIV, HPV, menopause and pregnancy) relate to sexual or reproductive health may be a function of these conditions' highly personal nature and the anonymity the Internet provides.

    Most Commonly Searched Health Conditions
    February 2008
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore, Inc.

     Search Term     Search Queries
                          (000)

    Pregnancy            8,841
    Cancer               7,718
    Flu                  1,824
    Depression           1,807
    Diabetes             1,758
    Addiction            1,407
    Herpes               1,340
    HIV                    976
    Anxiety                910
    Stroke                 872
    HPV                    861
    Bipolar                861
    Cholesterol            816
    Headache               763
    Menopause              667
    Hepatitis              614
    Arthritis              600
    ADHD                   573
    Asthma                 569
    Fibromyalgia           551

"It's not too surprising that some of the most common health conditions, such as diabetes, depression and flu, have made the list, but it's interesting that these terms generate fewer searches than significantly less prevalent conditions like cancer and pregnancy. A reason for this may be due to life-changing nature of a cancer diagnosis or a pregnancy," said Carolina Petrini, comScore senior vice president. "When facing a serious illness like cancer or after becoming pregnant or considering pregnancy, consumers often turn to the Internet to search for information and educate themselves in a private setting. comScore's findings, along with information about the search popularity of branded terms provide meaningful insights into the ways consumers use search to find health information online."

Chantix Reigns as the Most Frequently Searched Brand but Depression Drugs Dominate List.

The study also looked at the top 15 most commonly searched prescription brand name treatments and found that Pfizer's Chantix, a smoking cessation treatment, topped the list, generating more than 500,000 search queries in February 2008. Adderall (a commonly prescribed ADHD treatment) and Viagra (a popular erectile dysfunction treatment) came in a close second and third on the list, respectively.

Additionally, four of the fifteen most frequently searched prescription brands -- Cymbalta, Effexor, Lexapro, and Prozac -- are depression treatments. For patients seeking information about this highly personal condition, the Internet provides an ideal channel.

    Most Commonly Searched Prescription Brands
    February 2008
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore, Inc.

     Brand Name    Search Queries
                       (000)

    Chantix             507
    Adderall            469
    Viagra              348
    Ambien              334
    Lexapro             274
    Effexor             264
    Cymbalta            235
    Lyrica              233
    Seroquel            198
    Lipitor             181
    Prozac              174
    Cialis              120
    Paxil               119
    Crestor             119
    Singulair           114



    Additional Insights:

    -- The top searched health condition, "pregnancy," is searched 17 times
       more often than the most popularly searched brand name, "Chantix."
    -- The second most searched term, "cancer," garnered 7.7 million search
       queries in February. Of those queries, 1 million were specific to the
       term "breast cancer."
    -- The number of searches for ADHD (573,000) was very similar to the
       number of searches for the ADHD treatment, Adderall (469,000). Because
       the popularity of condition versus brand searches differs based on
       condition, this data supports the need for marketers to evaluate their
       therapeutic area's online search landscape so they can properly
       allocate resources toward strategic, non-branded and branded search
       campaigns.
    -- A condition's prevalence is not necessarily correlated to its search
       popularity. For instance, according to data from the American Diabetes
       Association and the National Institute of Health, there are several
       million more people living in the United States with diabetes than with
       cancer. However, the number of search queries for the term "cancer"
       (7.7 million) was more than four times the number of search queries for
       the term "diabetes" (1.8 million).
    -- A comparison of the search terms "pregnancy" (which garnered 8.8
       million searches) and "cholesterol" (which garnered less than a million
       searches) revealed a similar discrepancy. In the United States,
       approximately 4 million women a year give birth (as reported by the
       American Pregnancy Association), while nearly 40 million people suffer
       from high cholesterol (as reported by the American Heart Association).
    -- Historically, awareness of Fibromyalgia -- which was the twentieth most
       popularly searched health condition -- has been low and resources have
       been scarce. However, searches for the treatment have likely grown in
       the past couple of months due to the recent approval of Pfizer's Lyrica
       as a treatment for the condition. The relatively large number of
       searches for Fibromyalgia, is likely a result of marketing around
       Lyrica which has helped to raise awareness of the condition.

About comScore Pharmaceutical Solutions

comScore Pharmaceutical Solutions delivers in-depth information needed to understand the impact that brand, condition-specific, and health portal Web sites have on consumers' brand awareness, conversion, and patient compliance. comScore's products deliver actionable insight to help refine consumer profiles, identify key alliances, optimize interactive marketing initiatives, benchmark against the competition and accurately measure the ROI of Web site and online marketing programs.

To learn more about comScore Pharmaceutical Solutions, please visit http://www.comscore.com/solutions/pharma.asp.

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/boilerplate.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080115/COMSCORELOGO)

SOURCE comScore, Inc.

http://www.comscore.com

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