Claritin to be an Exclusive Sponsor of OnHealth.com

OnHealth Network Co. said that Schering-Plough Corp.'s best-selling allergy remedy, Claritin, will be an exclusive sponsor of OnHealth.com's newly relaunched Web site.

The sponsorship, arranged through HealthTech Digital Communications, means that Claritin will have a prominent, exclusive sponsorship of the Allergy section of the OnHealth Personal Health Tracker. Spending was not disclosed.

The Personal Health Tracker allows users to sign in and customize their own Web space with health topics they are most interested in. When the Health Tracker finds something new, OnHealth will notify the user by e-mail, and they can go to the Personal Health Tracker page where the information will be waiting for them. In addition, Claritin will be promoted throughout the OnHealth.com site.

"OnHealth.com is gratified to receive this significant vote of confidence in our site from such a strong brand marketer as Claritin," said Robert Goodman, president and CEO, OnHealth Network. "Our sponsorship agreement with them demonstrates that the top pharmaceutical companies, who are forecasted to spend upwards of $1 billion on drug advertising this year, are moving swiftly onto the Internet because it is the most measurable and targeted of all media, putting them in front of the consumer at the exact moment users are seeking information."

"The healthcare communication opportunity on the Internet is unprecedented," said Meg Walsh, managing director of HealthTech Digital Communications, which handles interactive media for Schering-Plough Corp. "From a marketing standpoint, the Internet was born as a Direct to Consumer communication vehicle. As pharmaceutical companies begin these initiatives, sites like OnHealth allow my clients to target their audiences more precisely."