1.   At Merck-Medco, a prescription benefit management company, demand for Cipro has shot up, said Anita Kawatra, a company spokeswoman.

2.   Bayer has hired Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit management company in Maryland Heights, Mo., to process the applications and deliver the drug.

3.   A strong dollar benefits multinational companies because it makes their products more competitive overseas and boosts profits when dollars are converted back into yen.

4.   A weaker deutsche mark benefits companies with significant sales abroad as it makes their exports more competitive and means they receive more marks when they repatriate their non-German earnings.

5.   Aggressive training benefits companies as well as workers, said Doyle.

6.   But critics say the pharmacy benefit management companies negotiate deals with drug makers that benefit themselves and the drug companies more than anyone else.

7.   Frequently, that turns out to be a product made by the parent of the benefits management company.

8.   Frequently, that turns out to be a product made by the parent of the benefits management company -- no coincidence, say competing drug companies and some pharmacists.

9.   Health insurance plans, pharmacy benefit management companies and drug manufacturers are all hoping to gain control of the drug-ordering process, Barrett said.

10.   Other pharmacy benefits management companies did not respond to requests for comment on possible conflicts of interest.