NEW YORK, July 14 --

- New TNS Healthcare Study Reveals Both Differences and Similarities in Health
Views across Europe

More than 90% of consumers across the five major European markets -- the UK,
France, Italy, Germany and Spain -- share an interest in health, according to a
new study by TNS Healthcare, a Kantar Health Company. European woman are
significantly more concerned with health than men, with 95% of females
expressing interest in health issues vs. 89% of males. Age also makes a
difference, with 55% of those older than 55 expressing an interest in health vs.
just 44% of those between 18 and 24.

The study indicates that, in all countries, most people take health for granted
while they are young, particularly if they have no health issues, says Louise
Tamblin, Practice Area Lead in Brand and Communications Research at TNS
Healthcare UK. Those who do suffer from any medical condition -- even if
it’s minor -- become significantly more interested in health than those
who do not.

Europeans Have Many Areas of Commonality

Europeans share the same views on many health issues. For example, the majority
of consumers in all countries agree that they only go to the doctor when
necessary. They also believe that they know when to visit a doctor vs. when to
self medicate.

Interestingly, doctors think differently about how well consumers judge whether
to visit a physician or treat themselves, says Ginny Rose, Practice Area Lead in
Patient Understanding, OTC and Consumer Health Research, TNS Healthcare UK. For
example, while 81% of consumers in the UK agree with the statement that they
know when to go to the doctor and when to self medicate, more than 50% of
doctors disagree.

Both consumers and doctors across the five countries surveyed share positive
perceptions of pharmacists. There also was agreement on perceptions of OTC
products, with UK respondents particularly positive about non-Rx treatments. For
example, 77% of UK consumers and 85% of UK doctors believe that, for some health
problems, the medicines consumers can buy are just as effective as those they
would get from a doctor. In addition, 83% of UK consumers and 85% of UK doctors
agree that it is important to be able to buy medicines without a prescription
for minor ailments.

Findings Show Disagreement across Many Aspects of the Physician Relationship

The TNS Healthcare survey reveals large differences among countries and between
consumers and physicians in the same country on many aspect of the physician
relationship. While 64% of consumers in the UK say that they would rather buy a
medicine than visit a doctor, only 18% of that country’s physicians agree.
Spain comes out at the opposite end of the spectrum, with just 33% of consumers
saying they would prefer to buy a medicine than visit a doctor -- and only 10%
of physicians agreeing.

There also was broad disagreement on whether it is risky for people to treat
minor ailments without seeing a doctor first. The percentage of consumers
believing that it is very risky for people to self treat minor conditions ranged
from 10% in the UK to 43% in Spain. On the physician side, respondents agreeing
it is very risky ranged from just 4% in the UK to 49% in Italy.

When asked whether they agree or disagree with the statement that doctors are
too willing to prescribe treatments for minor ailments, doctors in most
countries are harder on themselves than consumers are. For example, in the UK,
43% of doctors but only 26% of patients agree that doctors too often prescribe
treatments for minor conditions. France and Spain show a similar pattern, with
40% of physicians but only about a quarter of consumers agreeing.

500 Physicians and 2500 Consumers Provide Insight

TNS Healthcare’s results are based on an on-line survey of 500 primary
care physicians (100 per country) and 2,500 consumers 18 and older (500 per
country) in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. The study was conducted in
April 2009.

About TNS Healthcare, a Kantar Health Company ...

TNS Healthcare, a Kantar Health company, provides market research consulting to
the worldwide ethical and OTC pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device
industries, as well as health-focused ad agencies, media and analysts. It offers
globally consistent solutions and custom advisory services to support product
introductions; brand, treatment and sales performance optimization; and
physician and DTC promotional assessment.

Informing decisions across the life cycle, TNS Healthcare offers action-ready
insights for pre-launch landscaping, market and opportunity assessment,
segmentation, positioning, message and campaign creation, pricing, forecasting,
attitude and awareness measurement and post-launch tracking. It delivers
information across stakeholders -- including physicians, patients and consumers
-- to help companies anticipate and impact customers’ behaviors. TNS
Healthcare provides both qualitative and quantitative offerings, using
traditional and online methodologies, combining worldwide reach with local
expertise.

For more information, visit www.tnsglobal.com/healthcare or contact Ilene
Siegalovsky, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications at
Ilene.Siegalovsky@tns-global.com.

SOURCE: TNS Healthcare, a Kantar Health company

Ilene Siegalovsky, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications,
Ilene.Siegalovsky@tns-global.com, +1-201-836-0040, ext. 225