SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- OTN, a leading physician services company and one of the largest distributors of products and services to the community physician market, today announced that, effective immediately, patients with advanced breast cancer can obtain Tykerb(R) (lapatinib) by prescription through OTN's national specialty pharmacy, ivpcare.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tykerb on March 13, 2007, for the treatment of advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with Xeloda(R) (capecitabine). Tykerb is an oral treatment available to cancer patients only by prescription through a specialty pharmacy.

"ivpcare was selected to dispense this new breakthrough cancer treatment to patients based on our longstanding history of excellent customer service, reliability and full-service capabilities," said Rebecca M. Shanahan, president of OTN Specialty Services, of which ivpcare is a division. "Tykerb is just one of many cutting-edge therapies and oral chemotherapy medications that we distribute to patients with chronic conditions, including cancer."

Physicians can call in prescriptions for Tykerb and Xeloda to ivpcare at 800-424-9002 or fax them to 800-874-9179. Breast cancer patients can initiate an order at http://www.ivpcare.com/pharmacy effective immediately. ivpcare will then contact the patient's physician for the prescription. For more information, including safety information, please visit http://www.tykerb.com/.

In addition to 24-hour customer service, ivpcare offers guaranteed overnight delivery in carefully packaged containers to a patient's home or physician's office, reimbursement assistance, in-house benefits investigation experts, educational tools and supplies. ivpcare also offers proactive refill notifications and drug therapy management programs. Through these programs, ivpcare pharmacists and nurses stay in close contact with patients to help ensure they properly administer their drug therapy and adhere to their treatment plan.

About OTN

OTN, a One Equity Partners portfolio company, is a leading physician services company that provides a broad set of customized solutions, including technology, pharmaceuticals, supportive care products and medical/surgical supplies, to physicians who practice in the community-based treatment setting. Through its innovative Lynx(TM) Technologies, practice management tools and unsurpassed customer service, OTN helps physicians remain independent and improve practice efficiency while enabling them to focus on providing optimal patient care. Through ivpcare, OTN's specialty pharmacy, OTN provides physicians and their patients with efficient delivery of medications to treat cancer, as well as rheumatoid arthritis, infertility and other chronic conditions requiring the latest intravenous, injectable and oral medicines. OTN's affiliated group purchasing organization (GPO), Onmark, offers its members competitive contracts for oncology drugs and medical/surgical supplies, practice management tools and educational programs. For more information, please visit http://www.myotn.com/.

About OTN Specialty Services

OTN Specialty Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of OTN's parent company, provides comprehensive programs for patients, physicians, payors and pharmaceutical manufacturers for a growing number of disease states, including hepatitis C, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, oncology, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease and others. Headquartered in Frisco, Texas, OTN Specialty Services has licensed specialty pharmacy facilities there, as well as in Torrance, Calif., St. Louis, Mo., and Wilmington, Mass. ivpcare is a division of OTN Specialty Services.

CONTACT: Stan Ades of OTN, +1-650-246-6622, or Stan.Ades@myotn.com; or
Jani Bergan of WeissComm Partners, +1-415-946-1064, or
jbergan@weisscommpartners.com, for OTN

Web site: http://www.tykerb.com/

Web site: http://www.myotn.com/