Dynamic Capture Rate Performance Metric

1 . A method for evaluating the performance of two or more products in a market comprising:

(a) defining a market;

(b) identifying the two or more competing products which exist in the market;

(c) determining a number of unique product selection decisions made within the market;

(d) determining a number of unique product selection decisions made for each of the products within the market; and

(e) calculating a percentage of unique product selection decisions made for each of the products within the market in relation to the total number of unique product selection decisions made within the market.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the products are comprised of prescription pharmaceutical drugs and the unique product selection decisions are comprised of prescriptions for pharmaceuticals.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the number of unique product selection decisions made within the market comprises:

(f) determining a number of customers who have entered the market;

(g) determining a number of customers who were already in the market but have added another product to their purchases;

(h) adding the number of customers determined in step (f) to the number of customers determined in step (g).

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein the number of customers who have entered the market comprise New Therapy Starts and the number of customers who have added another product comprise Add-on Therapies.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the number of unique product selection decisions made for each of the products within the market comprises:

(i) determining a number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product;

(j) determining a number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases;

(k) calculating a net number of switches for the product by determining a number of customers who have stopped purchasing a different product in the market and have started purchasing the product as a replacement;

(l) adding the number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product, the number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases, and the net number of switches for the product together.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the number of unique product selection decisions made for each of the products within the market comprises:

(m) determining a number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product;

(n) determining a number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases;

(o) determining a number of customers who have stopped purchasing the product and started purchasing another product as a replacement;

(p) determining a number of customers who have stopped purchasing a different product in the market and have started purchasing the product as a replacement;

(q) calculating a net number of switches for the product by subtracting the number of customers who have stopped purchasing the product and started purchasing another product as a replacement from the number of customers who have stopped purchasing a different product in the market and have started purchasing the product as a replacement;

(r) adding the number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product, the number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases, and the net number of switches for the product together.

7 . The method of claim 5 wherein the number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product comprises New Therapy Starts for the product, the number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases comprises Add-on Therapies for the product, and the net number of switches for the product comprises Net Switch Therapy for the product.

8 . The method of claim 6 wherein the number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product comprises New Therapy Starts for the product, the number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases comprises Add-on Therapies for the product, and the net number of switches for the product comprises Net Switch Therapy for the product.

9 . The method of claim 7 wherein the customers comprise patients and each of the patients is classified into a patient type, the patient types selected from the group consisting of Monotherapy New to Market, Monotherapy Continued, Monotherapy Switch, Concomitant New to Market, Concomitant Continued, Concomitant Add-on, or Concomitant Switch.

10 . The method of claim 8 wherein the customers comprise patients and each of the patients is classified into a patient type, the patient types selected from the group consisting of Monotherapy New to Market, Monotherapy Continued, Monotherapy Switch, Concomitant New to Market, Concomitant Continued, Concomitant Add-on, or Concomitant Switch.

11 . A system for evaluating the performance of two or more products in a market comprising a processor, a data entry device, and a memory, operatively coupled to the processor, which contains instructions, which when accessed by the processor, cause the processor to:

(a) receive data defining a market;

(b) receive data identifying the two or more competing products which exist in the market;

(c) determine a number of unique product selection decisions made within the market;

(d) determine a number of unique product selection decisions made for each of the products within the market;

(e) calculate a percentage of unique product selection decisions made for each of the products within the market in relation to the total number of unique product selection decisions made within the market.

12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the products are comprised of prescription pharmaceutical drugs and the unique product selection decisions are comprised of prescriptions for pharmaceuticals.

13 . The system of claim 11 wherein the instruction causing the processor to determine the number of unique product selection decisions made within the market comprises instructing the processor to:

(f) determine a number of customers who have entered the market;

(g) determine a number of customers who were already in the market but have added another product to their purchases;

(h) add the number of customers determined in step (f) to the number of customers determined in step (g).

14 . The system of claim 13 wherein the number of customers who have entered the market comprise New Therapy Starts and the number of customers who have added another product comprise Add-on Therapies.

15 . The system of claim 11 wherein the instruction causing the processor to determine the number of unique product selection decisions made for each of the products within the market causes the processor to:

(i) determine a number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product;

(j) determine a number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases;

(k) calculate a net number of switches for the product by determining a number of customers who have stopped purchasing a different product in the market and have started purchasing the product as a replacement;

(l) add the number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product, the number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases, and the net number of switches for the product together.

16 . The system of claim 11 wherein the instruction causing the processor to determine the number of unique product selection decisions made for each of the products within the market causes the processor to:

(m) determine a number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product;

(n) determine a number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases;

(o) determine a number of customers who have stopped purchasing the product and started purchasing another product as a replacement;

(p) determine a number of customers who have stopped purchasing a different product in the market and have started purchasing the product as a replacement;

(q) calculate a net number of switches for the product by subtracting the number of customers who have stopped purchasing the product and started purchasing another product as a replacement from the number of customers who have stopped purchasing a different product in the market and have started purchasing the product as a replacement;

(r) add the number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product, the number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases, and the net number of switches for the product together.

17 . The system of claim 15 wherein the number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product comprises New Therapy Starts for the product, the number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases comprises Add-on Therapies for the product, and the net number of switches for the product comprises Net Switch Therapy for the product.

18 . The system of claim 16 wherein the number of customers who have entered the market and selected the product comprises New Therapy Starts for the product, the number of customers who were already in the market but have added the product to their purchases comprises Add-on Therapies for the product, and the net number of switches for the product comprises Net Switch Therapy for the product.

19 . The system of claim 17 wherein the customers comprise patients and the instructions cause the processor to classify each of the patients into a patient type, the patient types selected from the group consisting of Monotherapy New to Market, Monotherapy Continued, Monotherapy Switch, Concomitant New to Market, Concomitant Continued, Concomitant Add-on, or Concomitant Switch.

20 . The system of claim 18 wherein the customers comprise patients and the instructions cause the processor to classify each of the patients into a patient type, the patient types selected from the group consisting of Monotherapy New to Market, Monotherapy Continued, Monotherapy Switch, Concomitant New to Market, Concomitant Continued, Concomitant Add-on, or Concomitant Switch.