SYNTEX, DuPONT ARE FIRST CLIENTS OF NEW HEALTH CARE CONSULTING FIRM

Executive Summary

SYNTEX, DuPONT ARE FIRST CLIENTS OF NEW HEALTH CARE CONSULTING FIRM, Riddiough & Associates, according to the firm's founder, Michael Riddiough, PharmD. In an April 11 press release announcing its formation, Riddough & Associates said its aim is "to aid the health care industry -- particularly the pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and medical device mfrs. -- analyze the impact of political, economic, and consumer trends on future business." The firm said its "mainstay" activity is cost-effectiveness analyses of various health care technologies both within and among various categories. "Riddiough & Associates offers . . . analyses of emerging health care markets, cost-effectiveness studies, political analyses, govt. relations, market strategies, and issues management for clients with specific problems," the release states. Riddiough was formerly policy studies director for the Pharmaceutical Mfrs. Assn. (PMA). Before joining the assn., he was senior health analyst for the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. He joined Syntex after leaving PMA. One feature of Riddiough & Associates is its establishment of a consortium of firms to offer clients expertise in a variety of fields. "To expand its scope of services," the consulting firm said, Riddiough & Associates "has assembled a consortium of firms with experts in a range of fields, including public health, reimbursement, health law, environmental forecasting, market research and marketing, clinical therapeutics, federal relations, and public relations." Consortium firms, the release continues, include Vince Gardner & Associates (headed by the former Natl. Assn. of Chain Drug Stores VP-health programs), ECI Associates, SysteMetrics Inc. (Santa Barbara, Calif.), Alternative Futures Associates, Lewin & Associates, and Pharmacotherapy Consultants.