NEW ELECTRONIC AND WEBBASED APPLICATIONS, SITES, AND TECHNOLOGIES
BioSpace Inc., a provider of Webbased products and information services to the life sciences industry, has formed a collaboration with MediBic, a Japanese bioventure company, to exchange information in an effort to support new biotechnology drug development activities. As the use of new technology infor mation such as genomic data expands, so too does the volume of R&D informa tion available in drug development. Access and management of this infor mation has become an increasing chal lenge for lifescience research as careful selec tion and screening steps are required with respect to the quality and variability of publicly available information. In Japan,more Websites are now available to provide bioindustrial information, but those specializing in drug development are limited. “BioSpace is pleased to have MediBic as its first col laborator in Japan to extend our brand into the Japanese market,”says Michael Sterns,D.V.M.,executive VP of corporate development at BioSpace. “By con tributing their knowledge of development activities in the Japanese market, they are uniquely qualified and positioned to expand the reach of BioSpace and the quality of information we provide.” MediBic provides leading Japanese pharmaceutical companies and academic organizations with informa tion services on drug research and development.The collaboration with BioSpace enables MediBic to expand its information services category, gain access to BioSpace’s robust clinicaldevelopment database and, at the same time, enhance systemsupport services. MediBic is introducing BioSpace’s lifesciencerelated news and information on its Website, enabling deci sion makers in the Japanese biotechnology industry to remain informed and uptodate on global industry trends. PhRMA Launches Website OFFERING INFORMATION ONBIOTERRORISM As the government, pharmaceutical industry, and academia continue working to combat bioter rorist threats, Pharmaceutical Research and Manu facturers of America (PhRMA) has launched a com prehensive Website, homelandhealth.com, offering reliable information on biopreparedness in America. The site offers uptodate information and news for consumers, healthcare professionals, the media, and government officials. The Web offering gives Americans useful information provided by respect ed government sources, including the Department of Health and Human Services, about anthrax, smallpox, and other potential bioterrorism agents.Visitors to the site can learn about symptoms of various diseases, as well as how they are diagnosed and treated. Tips are provided about what to do,and what not to do. “In these uncertain times, all Americans are united by the need for authoritative information and timely advice on how to cope with the threat of bioterrorism,”says Dr.Michael Friedman, chief medical officer for biomedical preparedness at PhRMA and a former head of the FDA. The site also combines information frommany of the top sources of data around the world,offering an accessible,readable clearinghouse of daily news and information related to the ongoing efforts of phar maceutical companies,government,and other orga nizations to fight bioterrorism. Future plans for the site include interactive fea tures such as Webcasts designed to educate health care professionals about specific aspects of bioterror ism and the opportunity to receive email updates. ePocrates Inc., the largest handheld network of healthcare professionals, has increased its network to more than 500,000 users since the launch of ePocrates Rx in November of 1999.More than one in four U.S. physicians depend on ePocrates to help improve quality of patient care, reduce medication errors, and make their practices more efficient. Growth of the network continues to accelerate, with morenew clinicians joining each month. Currently, more than 250,000 clinicians, including physician assistants, nurse prac titioners, pharmacists, dentists, RNs, and other specialists are part of the network. “ The rapid adoption of ePocrates products and ser vices is unprecedented within the healthcare community,” says John Voris ePocrates CEO. “ePocrates has shown that in con trast to popular belief, physicians will adopt technol ogy that provides tangible benefits to their patients and their practices.” Physicians also have come to rely on ePocrates’ proprietary DocAlert messag ing system to access important clinical information at the point of care. More than 30,000 clini cians update their ePocrates databases and receive DocAlert clinical updates every day. DEMAND FOR EPOCRATES’NETWORK Exceeds 500,000 Users BioSpace,MediBic Collaborate to Provide Information to ASSIST JAPANESE DRUGDEVELOPMENT Americans need information on how to cope with the threat of bioterrorism. Dr. Freidman Michael Sterns, D.V.M., executive VP of corporate development at BioSpace says, MediBic contributes knowledge of development activities in the Japanese market, and will expand BioSpace’s reach. John Voris, CEO, ePocrates, says ePocrates has shown that in contrast to popular belief, physicians will adopt technology that provides tangible benefits to their patients and their practices. Emedia SciQuest Inc., a software, information, and ser vices company that provides solutions to enhance research operations for pharmaceutical,biotechnol ogy, and other researchbased organizations, has launched its Buyer’s Guide, a Webportal that enables scientists to source laboratory supplies, chemicals, and equipment quickly and effectively. The Buyer’s Guide portal is free and enables researchers to source products by searching this large database of scientific products,all through one single site.Researchers can prepare a “readytosend”requisi tion that they can either fax directly to suppliers or for ward to their procurement office for processing. “The new SciQuest Buyer’s Guide is a very pow erful tool,” says Dr. Wayne Litaker, molecular biology and biotechnology, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine. “It’s so much easier and more effective than surfing supplier sites individually. The search engine is fast and easy to use, and the database is massive. I will certainly start all my prod uct searches here from now on.” Combined with the breadth of SciQuest’s elec tronic catalog of 1.5 million lifescience products from more than 750 suppliers,these capabilities give bioscientists an unprecedented flexibility and per formance in their approach to scientific product sourcing. From the Buyer’s Guide portal, researchers also SciQuest Launches New PUBLIC BUYER’S GUIDEWEB PORTAL HIP Health Plan of New York,acknowledged as a national industry leader in the application of health care information technology, has made its Website, hipusa.com,available in Spanish as well as in English. HIP is one of the first health plans in the nation to provide access to its Web site in Spanish and the first in the NewYork area to do so, according to the Amer ican Association of Health Plans (AAHP). HIP members — physicians, employers, and brokers — can access HIP’s Spanish Website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, pri vately and securely. HIP’s Website recently was awarded the TRUSTe seal, assuring members who log on that their privacy and personal information is handled according to the highest standards of security and discretion. “ The availability of Spanish content at hipusa.com reflects HIP’s continuing commitment to provide the best possi ble customer service to HIP Health Plan PROVIDESWEBSITEACCESS IN SPANISH FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY OFTHEBUYER’S GUIDE The Buyer’s Guide home page features an integrated set of sourcing functionalities that enable the scientist to: . Search for products across a range of scientific categories or focus the search on a specific set of products . Browse an extensive directory tree of product categories to follow a logical trail to the products of interest . Locate a specific supplier and request a catalog . Access new product information . Follow interactive links to additional rich product information on suppliers’Websites can directly access BioSupplyNet, the “yellow pages” of bioscience vendors with more than 3,500 catego rized supplier listings. The Buyer’s Guide portal also enables scientists to browse the latest research breakthroughs on the awardwinning SciCentral news and information site. “Our goal is to leverage SciQuest’s industry expe rience to provide researchintensive organizations with tools that solve real research and business problems,”says Guy Orgambide,Ph.D.,director of sci ence community for SciQuest. BIOSPACE INC., San Francisco, is a specialized provider of Webbased products and information services to the lifesciences industry. For more information,visit biospace.com. EPOCRATES INC., San Carlos, Calif., is a privately held company and is one of the largest handheld physician networks with more than 500,000 users.For more information,visit epocrates.com. HIP HEALTH PLANOFNEWYORK, NewYork, is one of the largest health plans in the NewYork metropolitan area, with more than 750,000 members. For more information,visit hipusa.com. MEDIBIC,Tokyo, is a bioventure com pany specializing in information ser vices and system engineering support for genomic research and drug devel opment.For more information,visit medibic.com. THE PHARMACEUTICALRESEARCH ANDMANUFACTURERS OFAMERICA, Washington,D.C., represents the coun try’s leading researchbased pharma ceutical and biotechnology companies, and invests in discovering and develop ing new medicines.For more informa tion, visit phrma.org. SCIQUEST INC.,Research Triangle Park, N.C., is a software, information and ser vices company that provides solutions to enhance research operations for pharmaceutical,biotechnology and other researchbased organizations. For more information, visit sciquest.com. our diverse membership,” says Anthony L. Watson, chairman and CEO.“Harnessing the power and con venience of the Internet and making it available to a broad range of HIP members continues to be our guiding principle in the use of technology in the healthcare marketplace.” For physicians and other providers, the new Website offers a number of important capabilities, including verifying mem ber eligibility, viewing the status of claim submis sions, providing referrals, and obtaining medical preauthorizations. Employers can access HIP’s pharmacy services and find and update needed information, including addresses, tele phone numbers,and eligi bility data about employ ees. And brokers can obtain information kits that explain why HIP is a natural choice for a health careplan.Also available are group rates,provider direc tories, and a special broker hotline number. Follow up MEMBERS CANNOW INTERACT WITHTHE HIPWEBSITE IN A VARIETY OFWAYS,INCLUDING: . Finding a physician in HIP’s growing network . Changing a primarycare physician . Filling a prescription through HIP’s online pharmacy service . Reviewing claims and downloading forms . Learning about HIP’s alternative medicine programs for acupuncture . Examining HIP’s dental program and participating dentists . Updating an address . Requesting a replacement for a misplaced ID card . Reading about HIP health tips and links to similar sites,press releases, general information about HIP, including its annual report and financial statement, and the HIP membernewsletter . Contacting HIP by secure email 101 PharmaVOICE M a y / J u n e 2 0 02