Intouch Solutions’ share»send»save social sharing widget is designed especially for the heavily regulated pharmaceutical industry, offering users control over what content is shared through social networks, sending links via e-mail, and saving or bookmarking information to Web browsers. Recent events in the pharmaceutical industry have heightened awareness of the need for control over how social sharing applications work on pharmaceutical-sponsored websites. The share»send»save widget provides enhanced control of information-sharing by allowing site owners to choose what channels (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) are active, enabling consistent sharing of only specified content and images across channels, and ensuring the same content is shared across channels. The tool also keeps standard metadata intact for optimal search engine optimization; sends secure e-mails that can include detailed safety information; and offers enhanced tracking, analytics, and customization options. “Social sharing is important for any industry, and pharmaceutical marketing is no exception," observes Intouch CEO Faruk Capan. “The difference is the special challenges this industry faces when it comes to regulation of content and promotion." There are many ways to share content on a site, but few solutions offer site owners the ability to ­control how that content is shared, says Faruk Capan. Copernicus Group IRB (CGIRB) has introduced CGIRB Connexus, an advanced integrated electronic document management Web portal, comprehensive tracking database, and paperless document repository that gives study managers new capabilities to efficiently and effectively manage the entire institutional review board (IRB) review process. The fully validated Connexus system provides clients and their investigators with secure 24/7 online access to all files and forms, including a comprehensive archive of previous studies and status updates. By capturing and managing every phase of IRB documentation, the solution streamlines and enhances the way sponsors, investigative sites, CROs, and review boards conduct IRB submission and review, helping to keep the review process on schedule. Connexus is fully validated, FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant and provides a full audit trail, enabling client organizations to fulfill any regulatory demand quickly and completely. “Most IRBs today offer little more than a portal, which is simply a way to upload documents as part of the review process," notes Jennifer Sodrel, director of information management at CGIRB. Connexus builds on our ­commitment to use technology to constantly improve our client service level while maintaining personal contact, says Bruce Tomason. Connexus provides clients with an integrated paperless solution to the entire submissions and review process from start to finish for new study submissions, says Jennifer Sodrel. The interactive learning ­programs provide foundational knowledge, as well as detailed information, about the complex environment that these medical professionals are working in today, says Dr. Jane Chin of MSL Institute. The unique learning curriculum that we are creating with the MSL ­Institute offers a level of training that is not currently available in the commercial compliance market, says Peter Sandford of NXLevel Solutions. PharmaCertify, a division of NXLevel Solutions, is partnering with the MSL Institute to produce a series of off-the-shelf interactive e-learning modules for medical science liaisons (MSLs) and pharmaceutical sales representatives. The new e-learning modules are developed in an engaging, media-rich format. Each module is designed to be a valuable, auditable compliance resource for healthcare companies that utilize medical professionals in the role of the MSL. The first module in the series is titled MSLs and Sales Reps: Understanding the Divide. Commercial compliance modules available from PharmaCertify can be delivered on a company’s existing learning management system or learning portal, or via the PharmaCertify platform. “The modules we are creating directly align with the MSL Institute’s mission to support and advance the role of field-based medical science liaisons in healthcare," says MSL Institute Founder Jane Chin, Ph.D. Researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have developed a new mobile application in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to engage healthcare practitioners and the general public in issues of drug safety and real-time pharmacovigilance. The MedWatcher app — available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch mobile devices — allows users to track the latest drug safety updates provided by official alerts from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as news from the media and other informal channels. It also enables users to report information about drug side effects and view reports of adverse events submitted to the application by patients and physicians. Designed as an easy-to-use tool to enhance and support ongoing drug safety efforts, MedWatcher incorporates information about thousands of medications listed in FDA databases and enables users to customize the app based on their medications of interest. As drugs are selected in the app, users are able to view alerts that have been generated by the FDA, create news feeds about a particular drug, and set preferences to receive future alerts and news about those medications. Users are also able to see reviews by patients and providers, and may choose to submit a review as a patient/clinician themselves about adverse events they, or their patient, may have experienced. The development of the application was co-led by John Brownstein, Ph.D., director of the computational epidemiology group within the informatics program at Children’s Hospital Boston (CHIP); Clark Freifeld, research software developer at CHIP; and Nabarun Dasgupta, a Ph.D. student at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. “Voluntary drug safety surveillance is limited by substantial underreporting," Dr. Brownstein observes. “Traditionally, reporting adverse events has been a cumbersome and lengthy process: for clinicians who have had to interrupt their workflow to submit information, and for patients who are unsure of the process," Mr. Dasgupta says. “Our hope is that through the release of MedWatcher, we will prompt increased participation in surveillance, empowering people to participate in the public health process, but also potentially allowing us to crowd-source problem drugs, which can lead to better understandings of side effects of medicines, and possibly even bring about earlier detection and prevention," Mr. Freifeld adds. For more information, visit childrenshospital.org. In making this an easy-to-use mobile app, we aim to lower that barrier and reach people where they live and work, ­ultimately improving the ­performance of drug safety surveillance and enhancing our signal detection ­capabilities, says Nabarun Dasgupta. High-profile failures to detect safety problems during the preapproval period have brought new intense scrutiny on the drug approval process and ­underscore the need for ­additional methodologies and data sources to monitor drug safety, says Dr. John Brownstein. Following its merger with Datafarm earlier this year, Liquent has unveiled a new solution portfolio and brand positioning combining the strengths of both companies. Liquent InSight has been repositioned with three core focus areas: Liquent InSight for Registrations, Liquent InSight for Submissions, and Liquent InSight for Viewing. These software solutions are already widely used in the industry, and the new positioning better enables Liquent clients to adopt the technology into their organizations. In addition, Liquent’s regulatory operations outsourcing offerings have been rebranded as Liquent Direct and are also focused on three core areas: regulatory affairs, regulatory operations, and medical writing. “The combined strengths of Liquent and Datafarm offers the new Liquent greater opportunities to serve our clients and the life-sciences marketplace," says CEO Rick Riegel. For more information, visit liquent.com. We are excited to share a number of exciting new ­products that ­represent a new chapter in Liquent’s long history, says Rick Riegel. Novo Nordisk has released NovoDose, the first-ever mobile guide for physicians to look up insulin dosing guidelines and blood glucose goals for their patients with diabetes. NovoDose is available as an application on iTunes and is specific to Novo Nordisk’s modern insulin analog portfolio: Levemir, NovoLog, and NovoLog Mix 70/30. Through a series of questions with easy touch-screen answers, the guide allows physicians to select the type of insulin they want to research and review suggested guidelines for dosing, titration, and even blood glucose goals for their patients. “From accessing clinical trials online to networking with peers across the country through sites like Sermo, most physicians agree that access to information online is an asset to their practice," says Camille Lee, VP, diabetes marketing for Novo Nordisk. “We’re taking that one step further with NovoDose by literally putting that information in the palms of their hands." For more information, visit novonordisk-us.com. CONNECTYX TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS GROUP has released a mobile version of its MedFlash Personal Health Manager. The first phase of the MedFlash Mobile application release delivers emergency information to MedFlash members via the existing Web browser on their mobile phones, complementing the existing MedFlash toll-free emergency call center, Web-based access, and portable emergency USB programs. For more information, visit connectyx.com. SIMULATIONS PLUS has made available Version 7.0 of GastroPlus, the software for the simulation of drug absorption, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. The latest version now incorporates drug-drug interaction, ocular drug delivery, and nasal/pulmonary drug delivery functionalities, as well as numerous expansions to the basic program and modules for additional user convenience. For more information, visit ­­simulations-plus.com. New Electronic and Web-based Applications, Sites, and Technologies Featured Briefs: Intouch Launches ­Content-Control Solution for Social Media Copernicus Group IRB Helps Streamline IRB Review Process PharmaCertify, MSL Institute Collaborate on ­E-Learning Modules MedWatcher Enables Real-Time ­Pharmacovigilance Liquent Offers New Solutions in Wake of Datafarm Merger Novo Nordisk Creates Mobile App for Physicians Sidebar: E-upgrades and enhancements Follow up COPERNICUS GROUP IRB (CGIRB) is an institutional review board focused on ensuring the rights and welfare of research study participants. For more information, visit cgirb.com. INTOUCH SOLUTIONS INC. is a full-service digital marketing communications agency. For more information, visit intouchsol.com. MSL INSTITUTE is an advisory organization that encourages dialogue about MSL best practices in healthcare. For more information, visit mslinstitute.com. PHARMACERTIFY, a division of NXLevel Solutions, offers customizable e-learning programs to the pharmaceutical industry. For more information, visit pharmacertify.com.

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