New Electronic and Web-based Applications, Sites, and Technologies
Verispan and Marketing Technology Solutions (MTS) have launched Brand Sig, a tool that integrates patient perceptions with prescription information to provide insights into what causes patients to fill, or not fill, prescriptions. The Brand Sig tool is powered by HealthTrak. Patient interactions with their prescribers are captured through MTS’s HealthTrak consumer surveys, which are offered through a Website. Through HIPAA-compliant processes, HealthTrak collects and summarizes patient demographic and perceptual elements pertaining to their initial office visit as well as for various brands in the market. The survey information is integrated with Verispan’s longitudinal prescription data, which explicates prescription-filling patterns. Verispan uses a patented de-identification process to track patients anonymously across pharmacies, payers, and prescribers. By integrating the longitudinal data with patient perceptions, Brand Sig provides insights about the many messages patients receive from their prescribers and the effect that they have on actual patient behavior. The tool identifies the key messages at the brand level that patients need to hear and provides an assessment of the impact of specific messages by patient segment. National Affinity Network Launches Sales Promotion Service The National Affinity Network (NAN) — established by the Internet Consumer Exchange — has launched an online coupon service that eliminates print, distribution, insertion, and production costs, while reaching key target audiences through the Websites of a proprietary group of national organizations and social networks. NAN was formed to address the consumer demand and untapped sales potential accessible through the thousands of Websites managed by the nation’s most influential and respected member organizations. Available 24/7 and regularly updated, these Websites can serve as an ongoing trusted informational resource for members and other interested parties who frequently visit them for news and updates about industry and organizational happenings. “The entire process is simple, cost-effective, responsive, and trackable,” says Bill Thomas, NAN’s cofounder and president. “Pharmaceutical sponsors use our engine to place coupons, rebates, and vouchers for specific product offers into the Websites of NAN’s partner organizations. The members of these organizations can then easily print out these coupons for redemption at local pharmacies and grocery stores. Since each coupon is bar coded, the success of each promotion can then be easily tracked and reports provide the location, date, and name of all the product sales.” TCN e-Systems and BBK Announce Online Patient Recruitment Training TCN e-Systems has launched a training product that encapsulates the best practices for meeting study-enrollment deadlines. The QuickTrainer provides sponsors with a Web-based approach to training for all members of the study community. TCN e-Systems has teamed up with BBK Worldwide to design the QuickTrainer. Comprised of online training module sets, the tool guides students through a stepped approach to learning recruitment essentials and applying new knowledge to current clinical projects. Each module has reading assignments, practical exercises, and feedback from expert patient recruitment advisors to reinforce learning. The program’s secure, permission-controlled environment allows access across geographic regions and time zones, offering convenience to study team leaders, country managers, and monitors with busy travel schedules. The QuickTrainer is available in three module sets: Essential Patient Recruitment, Advanced Recruitment Techniques, and Customized Pre-Investigator Training. System Planning Launches Asset Tracking System System Planning has introduced PharmaTrak, an industry-specific derivative of its GlobalTrak asset monitoring and tracking system, engineered to meet the tracking and monitoring requirements for pharmaceuticals and biomedical supplies. PharmaTrak provides real-time tracking and monitoring throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain from manufacturer to distributor to retailer or clinical trial as shipments move from trucks to ships, back to surface transport, and through distribution centers. PharmaTrak’s sensor suite begins with basic security monitors such as door position, light, and acoustic detectors. The industry-essential temperature sensors on PharmaTrak can be set to monitor and record temperature, report periodic average readings at customer-determined intervals, and send immediate alerts if excursions beyond acceptable ranges occur. Humidity, shock, and vibration sensors also can be calibrated to alert or report as needed. PharmaTrak offers data management from the pallet or carton to the item level via RFID, barcode, or other electronic input. BioReliance Introduces System for Safety Testing Tracking BioReliance has launched iNet, a proprietary IT system that enables customers to submit clinical study article details via controlled and secure Internet access from any location worldwide. In real-time, BioReliance clients can now view the status of current and past clinical studies, keep informed of expected completion dates, download reports, and allow colleagues to view online testing status. iNet is compliant with 21 CFR Part 11 for user authentication, and data exchange using the Web is protected by use of secured sockets layer certificates procured from VeriSign. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. The iNet application is available to U.S. biologics testing customers upon request. The service will be available in the future for clinical studies conducted in the United Kingdom, as well as for viral clearance and toxicology clients. Industry Executives Support The Doctor’s Channel Created by David Best, M.D., MBA, and Michael Banks, M.D., The Doctor’s Channel provides a dynamic platform for physicians and other healthcare professionals to exchange ideas and opinions on everything from allergies and clinical immunology to women’s health. The Doctor’s Channel, which is now available in beta form, is a useful tool that condenses the overwhelming amount of information doctors have to navigate each day in a creative, informative way. The site allows doctors to learn from each other and the healthcare community about the latest news, ideas, and information in professionally produced one- or two-minute video segments that will eventually cover 35 different medical specialties. “We started The Doctor’s Channel because it’s apparent that the traditional system of medical education isn’t working as well as it could,” says Dr. Best, president of The Doctor’s Channel. Videos on the site feature expert advice from opinion leaders and fellow doctors and are created by The Doctor’s Channel editorial team, with additional sponsored content supplied by pharmaceutical companies and others in the healthcare community. Videos are archived permanently, allowing doctors to view and learn at their convenience. Doctors can earn continuing medical education credits (CME) as they watch. It provides information on the latest medical techniques, as well as useful lifestyle tips from other experts. Doctors who register on the site can personalize The Doctor’s Channel by joining groups related to their interests, send and receive personalized messages, and store their favorite videos. When viewing certain pharmaceutical company-sponsored videos, doctors can request additional information or samples from a sales representative with just one click of the mouse. INC and TheraSim Offer Clinical Performance Solution INC Research, in partnership with TheraSim, is providing a Web-based clinical performance management (CPM) system that uses a fully interactive patient simulation environment to assess and improve the skills and behaviors of clinicians. Advanced training and development technology supports the metrics-driven methods designed within INC Research’s process. The system allows users to rapidly assess site competency and correct deficiencies in good clinical practice, good laboratory practice, and protocol adherence through targeted training. The tool also helps to develop skills to continuously improve the competency levels of clinical-trial personnel at the site level. The initial plan is to implement the TheraSim CPM system for investigator site training, which is critical to the clinical-trial process and currently lacks a global standard for training and development. TheraSim CPM uses patient simulation, remote adaptive learning, and artificial intelligence technologies to track performance levels for every trial management participant. Follow up BBK Worldwide, Newton, Mass., is a patient recruitment and e-business solution company. For more information, visit bbkworldwide.com. BioReliance Corp., Rockville, Md., is a provider of contract biologics safety testing, GMP manufacturing, and preclinical and clinical testing services. For more information, visit bioreliance.com. INC Research, Raleigh, N.C., is a therapeutically focused CRO that conducts global clinical development programs. For more information, visit incresearch.com. Marketing Technology Solutions, Jersey City, N.J., is a provider of performance-based, interactive marketing solutions. For more information, visit mtscorp.com. National Affinity Network (NAN), Newtown, Pa., established by the Internet Consumer Exchange, delivers Internet-powered services via partnerships with the nation’s leading member organizations, ranging from church, civic, and corporate groups to trade, medical, banking, and business associations. For more information, visit icouponx.com. System Planning Corp., Arlington, Va., helps meet national security requirements through research and development of high-technology systems. For more information, visit sysplan.com. TCN e-Systems LLC, Newton, Mass., is an e-recruitment company that provides Web-based product suites. For more information, visit tcnesystems.com. The Doctor’s Channel, New York, is a Website that allows doctors to learn from each other at their convenience. For more information, visit thedoctorschannel.com. TheraSim Inc., Durham, N.C., is a provider of healthcare informatics. For more information, visit therasim.com. Verispan, Yardley, Pa., a joint venture of Quintiles Transnational Corp. and McKesson Corp., provides information products and services to the healthcare industry and provides patient-centric longitudinal data. For more information, visit verispan.com.