NEW HEALTHCARERELATED PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND COMPANIES
Publicis Selling Solutions Group has created a new divi sion, Publicis Clinical Health Partners, focused on providing integrated behaviorally based education programs for patients and healthcare professionals to optimize patient compliance and treatment outcomes. Publicis Clinical Health Partners leverages the science of behavior change through its proprietary Behavioral Wellness Optimization methodology, which incorpo rates the key best practices based on the latest scientific research for wellness behavior change. Each solution is customized to each sponsor’s specific needs, resulting in optimized patient care and a positive influence on adherence and retention rates. “Publicis Clinical Health Partners provides a unique win/win to all key stakeholders,” says Rick Keefer, chief operating officer of Publicis Selling Solutions Group. “Patients learn to manage their own health better to live longer, more satisfying lives. Healthcare professionals can provide better disease management for their patients without sacrificing more time out of their busy schedules. Managed markets provide their members with better wellness inspiration and superior longterm health outcomes. And spon sors better serve their key customers while also positively impacting their ROI.” Publicis Selling Solutions Group conducted a comprehensive review of the key literature on adherence, retention,and behavior change and analyzed industry efforts in clinical health education to date.This effort led to the development of Publicis Clinical Health Partners, along with best practices for directtopatient adher ence and retention and peertopeer behavior change. According to the World Health Organization, “poor adherence to the treatment of chronic diseases is a worldwide problem of striking magnitude.” In the United States, it’s estimated that poor adherence results in $43 billion in lost sales, and adults on chronic therapies are often nonadherent. Publicis Clinical Health Partners recognizes that the most powerful way to impact patient behavior change is through an integrated,closedloop system that can be customized to each pharmaceutical sponsor’s specif ic needs. “Typical nurse educator programs are focused solely on the nurses,and are not well integrated with other key education and promotion efforts,” Mr. Keefer says. “Today’s increasingly challenging marketplace calls on all of us to do things differently and to focus on what is most important — making a real difference in patients’ lives.” Our objective is to extend the influence of healthcare professionals to make a significant difference in patients’ lives, and our focus is on longterm disease management and wellness, says Rick Keefer, Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Selling Solutions Group. Novartis Opens NONPROFIT VACCINES INSTITUTE Novartis has established the Novartis Vaccines Institute for Global Health (NVGH) in Siena, Italy, to focus on developing effective and afford able vaccines for neglected infectious diseases of developing countries. The institute’s nearterm emphasis is on projects where it can make the greatest impact for the amount of effort and resources expended, such as conjugate vaccines for enteric dis eases. NVGH is located on the same campus as Novartis Vaccines’ research center, allowing the institute to lever age Novartis’ strength and experience in conjugate vaccines. NVGH’s CEO is Dr. Allan Saul, who joined Novartis from the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infec tious Diseases in the United States. “Novartis Vaccines is already on the cutting edge of vaccines research,”says Joerg Reinhardt,CEO of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics. “And now the opening of NVGH will allow us to apply our knowledge and expertise of vaccines research to dis eases that affect the developing world. This approach will enable NVGH to play a leading role in perma nently reducing the burden of neglected diseases.” NVGH joins the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) in rein forcing Novartis’commitment to non profit research work on diseases in developing nations. This approach will enable NVGH to play a leading role in permanently reducing the burden of neglected diseases, says Joerg Reinhardt, CEO of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics. Publicis Selling Solutions Adds PATIENT EDUCATION UNIT Thenewunitwas formed to optimize patient compliance andwellness. Dowden Health Media Launches TWO PHYSICIAN JOURNALS DowdenHealth Media has launched two journals featuring articles from international thought leaders that focus on assisting readers in optimizing patient care, striving for best outcomes, and conceiving and implementing new primarycare practice models. The Journal of Family Practice Special Edition: Cur rent Clinical Practice is directed at family practice physicians,while its companion, CurrentClinical Prac tice, is for doctors of internal medicine. The publications are led by editorinchief Bernard Rosof, M.D., chair of the American Medical Association’s Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement. Under his guidance, Current Clinical Practice is poised to become a pivotal voice in the dialogue surrounding contemporary medicine, with articles addressing the latest trends in practice manage ment and topics such as payforperformance, the patientcentered medical home, innovations in diag nostic and therapeutic technologies,and the cultiva tion of medical leadership. The content also features continuing medical education (CME) modules developed through grants from industry and submitted by medical edu cation companies,providing a venue through which clinicians can obtain timely information along with free CME credits on a variety of subject matter. 0408 Layout FINAL MW 3/21/08 11:45 AM Page 90 FREE WebSeminar Register today at: www.pharmavoice.com/predictability Discuss New Strategies for Optimizing Clinical Trial Enrollment If you have been tasked to improve clinical trial enrollment in your organization, you need answers to these questions: 1. What can I do to make clinical trial enrollment more predictable? 2. What processes do I need to adopt to keep clinical trials on budget and on schedule? 3. What can I learn from leaders from other industries who addressed similar predictability analytic challenges and concerns? 4. What best practices from other industries can I apply to address my clinical trial enrollment challenges? This Webinar answers these questions and more. You will learn how to apply predictive analytics and best practices from other industries to improve enrollment performance.You also will learn how these approaches can help you bring your clinical trials in on schedule and on budget. This is a program you can’t afford to miss! WhyYou Should Attend Improving predictability in clinical trial enrollment is imperative if you are involved in clinical studies, clinical operations, clinical development, clinical informatics, or IT. Brought to you by Sponsored by Industry Best Practices for Improving the Predictability of Clinical Trial Enrollment Tuesday — May 6, 2008 1:00 2:00 PM ET REGISTER pharmavoice.com/predictability # SPEAKERS Cosimo Spera, PhD Fulbright Scholar and NATO Fellow Shoshanah Cohen Director PRTM Linda T. Drumright Chief Operating Officer DecisionView, Inc. Benchmark against other industry best practices — hear from Computer and Electronics Industry Expert Shoshanah Cohen of PRTM DecisionView_weblinx0408_Ad 3/24/08 4:07 PM Page 1 WHAT’S new 92 Ap r i l 2008 PharmaVOICE D. ANDERSON & COMPANY (DAC), a Dallasbased patient recruitment and retention provider for the clinical trials industry, hasopenedanoffice inWindsor,UnitedKingdom,to service the growing international demand for recruitment and retention pro grams. The Windsor office expands DAC’s local support services to its growing base of clients and prospects in Europe. DAC has previ ously conducted onsite global training in Argentina, Australia, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the U.K. An indepth training session is cur rently scheduled for India this spring. DAC is a subsidiary of D.L. Anderson International. For more information, visit dandersoncompany.com. MDS PHARMA SERVICES,King of Prussia, Pa., has established an office in Sao Paulo to provide expanded capabilities in global clinical trial management.The Sao Paulo office expands MDS Phar ma’s presence in Latin America, an increasingly important region for the global drugdevelopment industry, and enables the com pany to offer highquality, onsite clinical trial services in Brazil. In addition to the new office in Brazil, MDS Pharma also offers Latin Americabased clinical trial monitoring services from offices in Buenos Aires; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; and Mexico City. The company has latestage clinical trial management offices in 21 countries throughout Africa, AsiaPacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America.MDS Pharma is part of MDS Inc. For more information, visit mdsinc.com. PPD,Wilmington, N.C., has expanded its global central lab ser vices into China through an exclusive agreement with Peking Union Lawke Biomedical Development Limited (PUL). The agree ment allows PPD to begin immediately providing biopharmaceu tical clients with its full range of highly customized central lab ser # vices in China.The lab is overseen by PUL medical direc tor Jian Ho, M.D., Ph.D., while PPD leads project man agement and investigator services and works with clients on study setup. Under the terms of the agreement, PPD has made an unspecified investment in laboratory equipment located at Peking Union Medical College in the Beijing Zhong Guan Cun Life Sciences Park, the largest lifesciences park in China. In addition, PUL has been provided with a realtime interface to ConneXion,PPD’s proprietary computer system, to assure consistent management and reporting. In other global moves, PPD has agreed to purchase independent Russian CRO InnoPharm for an undisclosed sum. InnoPharm offers Phase II to IV clinical trials support, data management, and biostatis tics services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. PPD has subcontracted work to InnoPharm since 2004. In addition to its headquarters in Smolensk, InnoPharm has offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as Kiev, Ukraine. Sergey Sudilovsky, M.D., Ph.D., director general of InnoPharm, continues to oversee operations in Russia and Ukraine for PPD. For more information, visit ppdi.com. Global specialty biopharmaceutical company SHIRE has estab lished operations in Mexico City, expanding its presence in Latin America and increasing its commitment to provide support to physi cians and patients in the region. With existing offices in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, Shire is aiding in the development and marketing of innovative medicines intended to improve the quality of life for patients and their caregivers. Shire anticipates continued expansion throughout Latin America and the hiring of additional employees to support the market entry of Shire’s human genetic therapies and specialty pharmacy products. For more information, visit shire.com. AROUNDTHEGLOBE Omnicare Clinical Research Creates EXPERT PLACEMENT SERVICE Omnicare Clinical Research has estab lished OmniTEAM (Tac tical Experts and More), a business unit that handles the company’s client placement service program. OmniTEAM’s flexible staffing program places the company’s clinical experts on site at a client’s location for projects requiring additional human resources for a set peri od of time. “Omnicare Clinical Research has been providing client placement services for more than 20 years now,”says Benoit Martin,president of Omnicare Clin ical Research International and head of the OmniTEAM program.“We’ve seen a real need for this type of staffing solution in the drug development industry and felt the time was right to formalize our efforts and actively promote our capabilities.” The professionals provided by OmniTEAM are projectmanaged by sponsors, but are employed and linemanaged by Omnicare Clinical Research. The program is widely available in Europe and is expanding into the United States and other key regions. Covered services include project manage ment, data management, biometrics, regulatory affairs, clinical quality assurance, medical writing, medical affairs, and clinical monitoring. In other moves, Omnicare Clinical Research has expanded into China,with new offices in Beijing and Shanghai. The fully staffed facilities include profes sionals in project management,clinicaltrial services, regulatory affairs, and business development. The move advances the company’s Asia Pacific strategy and provides clients in China with a greater level of support. Omnicare Clinical Research has existing facilities in Australia, India, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan. We’ve seen a real need for this type of staffing solution in the drug development industry and felt the time was right to formalize our efforts, says Benoit Martin, President of Omnicare Clinical Research International. # # # 0408 Layout FINAL MW 3/21/08 11:45 AM Page 92 He always loved finding the needle in the haystack ~ Consider his passion for finding you patients today Joseph Popowicz, Project Director Patient Recruitment Accelerating & improving study launch, protocol training & patient recruitment ePharmaSolutions www.FasterTrials.com (610) 8329915 94 Ap r i l 2008 PharmaVOICE WHAT’S new ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS, Woodland Hills, Calif., has acquired CBI Research, producer of the Centers for Business Intelligence live and electronic conferences for seniorlevel executives in the pharmaceutical and biotech indus tries. The addition of CBI strengthens Advanstar’s portfolio of pharmaceutical related media properties.Financial terms were not disclosed. CBI President Kathy Coffey continues to direct CBI’s Woburn,Mass.based staff of 45. For more information, visit advanstar.com. United Kingdombased contract research organization CHILTERNhasacquired the business of Drug Development Solutions (DDS), a leading Phase I unit located at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee,Scotland,one of the United Kingdom’s major teaching hospitals. The purchase of DDS supplements Chiltern’s clinical research unit in Slough,near London,and strengthens its early phase clinical testing capabilities. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Dr. Brian Sanderson, CEO and medical director of DDS, continues to lead the Dundee unit and is working closely with Chiltern’s existing clinical research unit to build Chiltern’s earlyphase service offerings. For more information, visit chiltern.com. Clinical development services provider ICON,Dublin,hasannounced theacqui sition of Healthcare Discoveries,a San Antoniobased earlyphase clinical phar macology unit and wholly owned subsidiary of Catalyst Pharma Group.The pur chase gives Icon a clinical pharmacology platform in the United States that complements its existing European Phase I operations. Under the terms of the agreement, Icon has paid Catalyst an initial cash con sideration of $12 million for Healthcare Discoveries and will pay up to an addi tional $10 million if certain performance milestones are met in 2008. Healthcare Discoveries has becomepart of a comprehensive earlyphase development port folio within the Icon Development Solutions division, which includes an existing clinical pharmacology unit in Manchester,England. For more information, visit iconplc.com. IMPACTRX, a privately held market research company based in Mount Laurel, N.J.,has acquiredParagonResearch&ConsultingofWestChester,Pa.,a full ser vice pharmaceutical market research and consulting firm. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. As part of ImpactRx, Paragon is applying its analytical and custom research capabilities to ImpactRx’s proprietary data to provide timely, accurate, and sensi tive evaluation of the overall pharmaceutical market, as well as individual c m pany and brand performance. For more information, visit impactrx.com. Global public relations firm KETCHUM,NewYork,hasannounced the addition of clinical trial recruitment agency MMG,Rockville,Md., to its network of com panies. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The companies, both owned by Omnicom Group,will retain their respective brand identities, office locations,and executive teams. Together, Ketchum and MMG are positioned to provide a diverse set of ser vices to clients.MMG has expertise in oncology,endocrinology,cardiology,central nervous system, and general medicine, as well as infectious and rare diseases. # # # # # # # # # Ketchum’s experience is complementary and spans virtually every therapeutic category. Additionally, MMG’s indepth understanding of the clinicaltrial business complements Ketchum’s healthcare offerings and its ability to provide clients with communication services in the earliest phase of a product’s life cycle. For more information, visit ketchum.com. Swiss pharmaceutical giant ROCHEhasagreed topurchaseVentanaMedical Systems for an estimated $3.4 billion in cash.The acquisition of Ventana,a lead er in the fastgrowing histopathology segment, allows Roche to broaden its diagnostic offerings and complement its world leadership in both invitro diag nostic systems and oncology therapies. Christopher Gleeson,Ventana’s president and CEO,continues as CEO of Ven tana’s business and is also a member of the Roche Diagnostics Executive Com mittee.Ventana remains based in Tucson,Ariz. For more information, visit roche.com. TEVA PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES, Jerusalem,has agreed to acquire privately held CoGenesys,Rockville,Md., for about $400 million in cash as part of its strategic goal to expand its presence in the biogenerics segment of the biopharmaceutical sector. Teva’s existing biotechnology infrastructure includes product development and manufacturing in several countries,and the companymarkets a portfolio of biopharmaceutical drugs both within and outside the United States, including interferon alpha 2b, granulocyte colonystimulating factor, and human growth hormone. The CoGenesys research team continues to be led by cofounders Craig Rosen,Ph.D.,and Steve Mayer,MBA.Dr.Rosen is CoGenesys’s chief scientific offi cer and executive chairman,and Mr.Mayer is its CEO. For more information, visit tevapharm.com. THREE RIVERS PHARMACEUTICALS, Cranberry Township, Pa., has acquired the hepatitis Cdrug Infergen fromValeant Pharmaceuticals Inter national for $91 million in cash. The move is part of Three Rivers’ strategy to increase its pharmaceutical product offerings through product acquisition and internal development. For more information, visit 3riverspharma.com. WOLTERS KLUWERHEALTH,Conshohocken,Pa.,a division of Wolters Kluw er, has obtained a minority interest in Logical Images, a developer of visual healthcare tools based in Rochester, N.Y. Terms of the acquisition were not dis closed. The two companies plan to integrate Logical Images’VisualDx system with Wolters Kluwer Health’s Clineguide clinical decision support tool to deliver clin icians visual differential diagnosis within an easy online clinical decision support system.Clineguide helps physicians and other healthcare providers makediag nosis and treatment decisions through online access to accurate, evidence based medical information. VisualDx visual clinical decision support software merges medical images with clinical information to guide clinicians and health care providers. For more information, visit wkhealth.com. M&AACTIVITY 0408 Layout FINAL MW 3/21/08 11:45 AM Page 94 95 PharmaVOICE Ap r i l 2 008 WHAT’S new Follow up DOWDENHEALTHMEDIA,Montvale,N.J., is a fullservice healthcare communications company.For more information, visit dowdenhealth.com. NOVARTIS,Basel,Switzerland, is a global provider of pharmaceuticals,vaccines, diagnostic tools, and consumer health products.For more information, visit novartis.com. OMNICARECLINICAL RESEARCH,King of Prussia, Pa., a division of Omnicare Inc., provides clinicalresearch services to pharmaceutical,biotechnology,and medical device companies through office locations in 31 countries. For more information, visit omnicarecr.com. PUBLICIS SELLING SOLUTIONS GROUP, Lawrenceville, N.J., a Publicis Healthcare Communications Group company,offers a range of strategic selling solutions to the pharmaceutical,biotech,and medicaldevice industries. For more information, visit psellingsolutions.com. SHAW SCIENCE PARTNERS,Atlanta, is a sciencebased pharmaceutical marketing agency.For more information, visit shawscience.com. Pharmaceutical marketing agency Shaw Science Partners has announced the launch of Shaw Studios, a new digital communications division. Shaw Studios provides its clients with engag ing experiences that incorporate digital media, interactive environments, and modern print tech nologies. Shaw Science Partners Launches DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONSDIVISION The2008versionofOUTLOOK&STRATEGIES,anannual report published by New York investment bank Berkery Noyes, pro vides analyses of six key information and technology sectors: edu cation; media and marketing; business and financial; healthcare; publishing; and information technology and software. The report offers views on the trends likely to shape the information and knowledge markets in the coming year, providing clients with valuable market intelligence to inform their strategic decision making. Outlook & Strategies is currently available both in hard copy and online. For more information, visit berkerynoyes.com. A new Elsevier publication, SECRETS TO SUCCESS IN INDUS TRY CAREERS: ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR SCIENCE AND BUSINESS by Lisbeth Borbye,Ph.D., serves as both a primer on obtaining a job in industry after completing school and as an industryinsider guide to the skills and understanding essential for success on the job.This makes the book an ideal guide on how to succeed for both new jobseekers and those already employed in industry and academic environments. The book compares and contrasts the different qualities need ed to succeed in school and in industry and walks the reader through the entire process of obtaining a job, including analysis of a job description, writing an application, preparation for an inter # # # view, and conduct during and after an interview. It also contains fictional anecdotes that illustrate how to apply these skills, summarized at the end of each chapter and supported by selfguided assessment questionnaires. For more information, visit elsevierdirect.com. A new book from Pfizer’s Public Health Group, MOMENTS IN LEADERSHIP: CASE STUDIES IN PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY ANDPRACTICE,examines the importanceofpolicy leadership in promoting the health and safety of populations. Through a case study format that highlights policy advances in such areas as patient safety, health disparities, access to healthcare for the uninsured and underserved, and health promotion, the book tells the stories of 21 people who, by using their leadership qualities, changed the public health landscape through policy and practice. The individuals and case studies selected for this book are meant to offer readers a multifaceted vision of public health leadership across a wide range of subjects and setting. Those profiled include physicians, epidemiologists, researchers, lawyers, and lawmakers, and their policy landscapes range from local communities to the federal government. The profiles underscore the interconnectedness between a local intervention affecting a specific time and place, as well as the broader national climate, both of which can be trans formed through policy reform. For more information, visit pfizerpublichealth.com. WHAT’S NEWONTHE SHELVES “Shaw Science Partners has an accomplished history and excellent reputation for delivering best inclass, sciencebased communications for new compounds in development,” says Michael Shaw, president of Shaw Science and Shaw Studios.“Shaw Studios will provide innovative and engaging digital communications through a unique blend of sophis ticated science knowledge and leadingedge cre ative capabilities for marketed products.” Kelly Tkac has been named VP of marketing and business development for Shaw Studios.His primary focus in this role is to provide solutions for a variety of needs for recently approved and inline products. He has 15 years of sales and marketing experience. 0408 Layout FINAL MW 3/21/08 11:45 AM Page 95