New Electronic and Web-based Applications, Sites, and Technologies
HealthCentral Introduces Online Network The HealthCentral Network (THCN) has relaunched its network of sites to better meet the needs of today’s patients. Each Website offers interactive medical information targeted to a specific disease or condition. THCN brings the personal experiences and wisdom of patients into the world of online health information with personal health tools, including CareCentral, a comprehensive Web solution to help caregivers manage their communities of friends and families. With the launch of its SharePost tool, THCN provides a voice for the experiences and inspirations of patients living with conditions such as diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s, and breast cancer. SharePost is an easy tool to use and helps patients or people suffering from the same condition feel part of a larger community that fully understands and empathizes. Each site has experts, from doctors and patient advocates to journalists and authors, who provide insight and guide discussion in the communities. Health-seekers are not only looking for clinical information about their specific disease, they are patients, parents, and friends looking to take control of their health in real life terms, says Chris Schroeder, CEO and President of The HealthCentral Network. Cognizant Releases ASPIRE LITE — an E-Clinical Framework Cognizant has developed ASPIRE, which can be used with any of the leading safety databases to generate safety signals. The framework allows migration of data from various source systems into a data warehouse deployed on the SAS Platform, which can be processed using the ASPIRE framework to generate signals. The end users can use an analytic engine to analyze these signals. ASPIRE Lite has the following features: data integration, which allows users to integrate adverse event data from internal safety systems as well as external data sources; signal definition, which provides users with the ability to define signals for the different data sources; signal detection, which generates signals from adverse event data using any of the widely used signal detection techniques; and signal analysis, which gives users the ability to analyze the outcome through industry standard business intelligence tools. Life-sciences companies are starting to leverage safety data strategically; the prospect of postapproval withdrawals is causing them to focus on analysis of safety data, both internal and external data, earlier in the process, says Nagaraja Srivatsan, VP, Head of Life Sciences — NA, Cognizant Technology Solutions. Stonefly Relaunches Website Around New Brand Identity Stonefly has launched a new brand identity grounded in the agency’s core philosophy, Believe in Health. The new purpose-driven philosophy is based on creating dialogue, which is expressed in a new company logo, tagline, and on the new Website. Additionally, the site highlights the individual stories of Stonefly staff and why they believe in health. It will be continually updated with interactive features that invite visitors to share their stories. According to Stonefly President John Racik, transitioning from a process-focused agency to a purpose-driven agency allows the company to work with its clients to invent new forms of communication and create deeper customer connections between clients’ brands and healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers. “What we discovered was that our common purpose — our belief in health — is the foundation of every successful relationship we have with our friends, families, clients, staff, and colleagues across inVentiv Health,” Mr. Racik says. Stonefly challenged itself to reevaluate the marketplace and its business, and then used those insights to create the agency of the future, today, says John Racik, President and CEO of Stonefly Communications Group. TrialStat EDC Solution Meets Specific CRO Business Needs TrialStat has launched a new partner program designed for midsized CROs’ business needs, using ClinicalAnalytics, its on demand EDC solution. CROFirst enables partner CROs to quickly deploy ClinicalAnalytics 4.0 (CA 4.0), while supporting activities for new business opportunities and revenue generation. As part of the program, CROFirst partners have access to comarketing, lead generation, and professional service support. CA 4.0 delivers speed, performance, and other industry-leading capabilities to give customers the power and flexibility to get their clinical trials started quickly and cost-effectively. CA 4.0 integrates the Web and flexible data capture technologies, including image-based forms and handheld devices. It is the first EDC platform to allow all aspects of the study to be configured, deployed, and managed through a browser-based interface, which enables customers to start their studies quickly. “Using ClinicalAnalytics, CROs can quickly deploy a robust EDC solution that allows them to compete with their larger competitors, creating an entire product and service solution that integrates smoothly with their existing offerings,” says Jonathan Barker, president and CEO, TrialStat. “It offers sponsors more choice in their selection of EDC-enabled CROs, while providing the mid-market with a cost-effective and powerful platform.” Current premise-based EDC platforms are complex and costly for many midsized CROs, says Jonathan Barker, TrialStat President and CEO. AnswersMedia Launches HealthAnswersTV AnswersMedia has launched the first in a series of channels dedicated to providing lifestyle programming. Initially, HealthAnswersTV consists of two core programs, The Health Reporters and The Answered Patient. The Health Reporters is a daily broadcast of consumer health news and The Answered Patient is a series of condition-specific programs that provide consumers with relevant information to allow them to better manage their health. A medical advisory board, led by Dr. Gerald Chodak, reviews all HealthAnswersTV programming. HealthAnswersTV is syndicated across the Internet and other VOD platforms via major Websites, portals, cable providers, and other partners. AnswersTV publishing and advertising platform is powered by state-of-the-art-technology, which allows the company to privately label the programming and to create interchangeable embedded advertising throughout its suite of programs. Initially, HealthAnswersTV consists of two core programs, The Health Reporters and The Answered Patient. Knipper Releases Turnkey Solutions for Vacant Territories J. Knipper and Co. has released MyPharmaRep.com, a suite of sales-productivity tools that help pharmaceutical companies boost script coverage and deliver samples to physicians. The online tools play the role of a virtual, vacant-territory, or white-space sales representative. Practitioners can order samples and download product literature, while managers can track campaign performance to ensure efficiency and success. The suite can be used online in real time, or offline, depending on the user’s preferences. MyPharmaRep.com can provide temporary or long-term coverage of vacant or white-space territories through three main modules. Practitioners can order samples online, in real time, through MySampleCloset.com, an easy-to-use Web program. The program lets users request a wide range of supporting materials, including product and patient literature, e-detail, and vouchers. Decision-makers can access management reporting in real time: all data and campaign results are available via a user-friendly Web interface. All orders are secure and confirmed through electronic signature, with real-time verification of practitioner data. The MyPharmaRep.com suite includes modules incorporating technology from two of Knipper’s partner firms: Compass Healthcare Communications and Quaero. “MyPharmaRep.com represents a major step forward in using the Internet to boost sales coverage,” says Jim Knipper, the company’s cofounder and CEO. “Pharma companies are looking for innovative ways to get practitioners the samples they need, while carefully managing their cost of sales. MyPharmaRep.com can make a meaningful impact on the bottom line.” MyPharmaRep.com represents a major step forward in using the Internet to boost sales coverage, says Jim Knipper, the company’s Cofounder and CEO. Pharma companies are looking for innovative ways to get practitioners the samples they need, while carefully managing their cost of sales. Biltmore Technologies Offers Sales and Marketing analytics and reporting Tool Biltmore Technologies has launched version 2 of MyVitalSignsRx, an analytical reporting and querying application that increases effectiveness in guiding pharmaceutical sales and marketing strategies. This Web-based turnkey application is based on a simple-to-use interface and is specifically designed to maximize the effectiveness of sales and marketing executives, sales operations and market research functions, and field sales teams who lack the staff and resources to support their own sales and marketing data warehouses. The MyVitalSignsRx solution integrates disparate data sources to reveal a roadmap of business intelligence and decision support capabilities that rival the resources of any large pharmaceutical organization. The system can help smaller companies achieve larger company analytics by: • Determining salesforce and targeting effectiveness. • Monitoring new product introductions, as well as sales performance of existing products. • Using dashboards and score cards to monitor goals and priorities. • Analyzing the success of marketing campaigns. • Calculating incentive compensation payouts. • Understanding customer retention and defection issues. • Reacting to threshold-based alerts identifying outlier conditions. Because the MyVitalSignsRx solution is data agnostic, it can easily accommodate additional data sources, which is an advantage when a business is growing, adding products, involved in copromotions, or mergers or acquisitions. Moreover, MyVitalSignsRx can be in-sourced at a future date. Faster decisions give you an advantage over your competition. With a robust reporting library and proven methodologies, MyVitalSignsRx can be completely deployed in less than 90 days, says Mike Wexler, Principal of Biltmore Technologies. iDNA Counters Noncompliance with Interactive Communication Tool iDNA is tackling one of the costliest problems in the healthcare industry with a new product, Compliance XR. Engineered to combat the perennial issue of patient noncompliance with prescribed drugs, it represents a method of ensuring consistent patient oversight, long after he or she has left the doctor’s office or pharmacy. Compliance XR is an interactive communication and reporting tool, which uses games, digestible information, lifestyle tips, and interactive reporting tools to change patient behavior. “By taking advantage of the multilevel CD-ROM technology, we can motivate a patient to come back to the program on a daily basis where we can remind them and compel them to take the medication,” says iDNA CEO James McNamara, iDNA is tackling one of the costliest problems in the healthcare industry with a new product, Compliance XR. Novo Nordisk Undertakes Online Patient Education Resource New tools to help people with diabetes overcome the psychosocial barriers that contribute to poor diabetes self-management are now available on Novo Nordisk’s updated Website. The resources were developed in response to findings from the DAWN (Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs) study, a 5,426-patient global survey commissioned by Novo Nordisk. Among the highlights are features that allow people with diabetes to customize the site content based on their diagnosis and specific situation. There is an interactive tool that helps users track, manage, and set goals for their short- and long-term diabetes care and a feature that helps people develop personal diabetes care goals and a psychosocial profile. There are 20.8 million people in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. Among the highlights of the new content are features that allow people with diabetes to customize the site content based on their diagnosis. AnswersMedia, Chicago, is a multi-platform HD video resource, producing educational programming across a variety of channels using state-of- the-art technology for its publishing and advertising, including broadband, cable VOD, and wireless platforms. For more information, visit answersmediainc.com. Biltmore Technologies, Chalfont, Pa., is a provider of pharmaceutical sales and marketing analytics. For more information, visit biltmoretech.com. Cognizant Technology Solutions, Teaneck, N.J., is provider of global IT and business process outsourcing services. For more information, visit cognizant.com. The HealthCentral Network Inc., Arlington, Va., is an online consumer health resource network. For more information, visit healthcentral.com. iDNA Inc., New York, is a strategic communications and technology company. For more information, visit idnausa.com. J. Knipper and Company, Lakewood N.J., is a fully integrated pharmaceutical marketing services company. For more information, visit knipper.com. Novo Nordisk, Princeton, N.J., is a healthcare company specializing in diabetes care. For more information, visit novonordisk-us.com. Stonefly Communications Group, Columbus, Ohio, is an inVentiv Health company that is dedicated to channel- neutral healthcare solutions. For more information, visit stoneflygroup.com. TrialStat Corp., Ottawa, Ontario, is a clinical data management on demand company, that delivers Web-based clinical research solutions. For more information, visit trialstat.com. Follow Up
