What’s New New healthcare-related products, services, and companies Elsevier/International Medical News Group Launches Clinical Neurology News Elsevier/International Medical News Group (IMNG) is set to launch Clinical Neurology News in January 2005. Clinical Neurology News, a monthly publication, will include the latest medical news, pertinent clinical developments, and practice trends in the field of neurology. The publication’s circulation of 15,807 encompasses neurologists and neurology sub-specialists. “We’re very excited about the launch of Clinical Neurology News,” says Alan J. Imhoff, group publisher and general manager. “Neurology is a dynamic market, and there have been tremendous advances in the field during the past few years, which have led to therapies for conditions that previously had very few options.” Cathy McGill, national account manager of Clinical Psychiatry News, also will handle the sales and medical-education responsibilities for Clinical Psychiatry News. CMP Healthcare Media to Launch Comprehensive Neurology Publication The first issue of Applied Neurology to be published in January 2005. CMP Healthcare Media is readying for the launch of the newsmagazine group’s latest publication, Applied Neurology. The new publication will provide an offering of clinical information presented in the context of day-to-day practice. According to PERQ/HCI, neurology is currently the fastest-growing market overall in healthcare. Analysts are predicting 12% annual growth for the neurology market through 2008, and it is estimated that one in three Americans can expect to suffer from conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, which is currently the fourth leading cause of death. “CMP Healthcare Media researched the neurology market and found that many practitioners’ informational needs were not being met by existing clinical publications,” says Marcy Holeton, group publisher of CMP Healthcare Media’s Newsmagazine Group. “Neurologists told us they needed more practical applications and a greater balance between clinical studies and practice management.” Applied Neurology editorial features staff and clinician written content with a focus on clinical medicine, including reviews of scientific research and its clinical applications, professional development and practice recommendations, news and meeting coverage, discipline perspectives, case studies, and pharmacology overviews, from a practical perspective. Neurologists need a clinical publication that offers practical applications and a balance between clinical studies and practice management, says Marcy Holeton, Group Publisher of CMP Healthcare Media’s Newsmagazine Group. ACRO Establishes Global Influence The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO), representing companies that are key participants in the clinical development of new medicinal products, is consulting regularly with European Union (EU) regulators and policymakers about the impact of the Clinical Trials Directive on clinical research within an enlarged European Union. Following a recent meeting between ACRO member companies and the leadership of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), the association submitted formal input to that agency’s white paper, Road Map to 2010: Preparing the Ground for the Future. As part of ongoing consultations, representatives of ACRO member companies are set to meet with the pharmaceuticals unit of the European Commission in Brussels next month. “While we enthusiastically support the goals of ensuring a consistent regulatory environment and facilitating innovation in the development of new medicinal products, our members have expressed concern that the current lack of harmonization in implementing the directive is leading to confusion among sponsors, investigators, and others, and this is creating an adverse perception of the European Union as a desirable place in which to conduct clinical research,” says Douglas Peddicord, Ph.D., executive director of the association. “ACRO is committed to collaborating with European authorities to provide a broad perspective on the clinical research enterprise and to help enhance the European community’s role in international clinical research.” Some of the highlights of the association’s input to the EMEA and the European Commission include providing an objective and cross-cutting view on a wide range of compliance issues in relation to the Clinical Trials Directive, given widely varying interpretations of the requirements of the directive being encountered in EU countries. In its meetings with regulators, ACRO has offered to be both a source of “neutral” (across stakeholder) expertise and a partner in initiatives for the education and training of stakeholders in such areas as pharmacovigilance planning, risk management, novel approaches to clinical studies, and the development of innovative products. As our membership and influence grow, the association will play a significant role to advance and promote the highest standards for clinical-trial outsourcing to policymakers and regulators around the world, says Chris Kuebler, Chairman and CEO of Covance Inc., and Chairman of the ACRO Board of Directors. Paradigm Genetics Undergoes Change, renamed icoria Icoria Inc. is the new corporate identity for Paradigm Genetics. “This change in our identity communicates two transforming developments in the life of the company,” says Heinrich Gugger, Ph.D., president and CEO of Icoria. “The first is our evolution to an integrated systems biology company, providing access to large markets in both healthcare and agriculture. The second is the continued ascendance of our healthcare business, aided by the recent acquisition and successful integration of TissueInformatics Inc.” In healthcare, Icoria’s service offerings include gene-expression analysis services (Paradigm Array Labs), tissue analysis for toxicology testing, and biomarker-enabled drug discovery. Icoria engages in R&D collaborations with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. In addition, Icoria is applying its systems biology platform to the discovery of proprietary therapeutics in the areas of liver injury and metabolic disorders, especially as associated with diabetes and obesity. Icoria’s proprietary systems biology platform was bolstered by the acquisition of TissueInformatics’ ability to digitally measure tissue phenotype. “The corporate identity change represents a strategic change from a functional genomics company serving the agrichemical sector to a systems biology company conducting product-focused discovery and development research in both healthcare and agriculture,” says G. Steven Burrill, chairman of Icoria’s board. The identity change to Icoria communicates our evolution to an integrated systems biology company and the continued ascendance of our healthcare business, says Dr. Heinrich Gugger, President and CEO of Icoria. The Phoenix Group Restructures to Form Phoenix Group Holdings Phoenix Marketing Solutions, which was founded two years ago, and DiMedix, which was established eight months ago, are now under a new umbrella organization: Phoenix Group Holdings. This restructuring serves to complete the corporate triangle and keeps the existing companies separate. “Restructuring the company – and creating two separate entities – is our way of making sure that everything we do for our clients is in total compliance with the latest federal and industry guidelines,” says Tracy Doyle, president and CEO of the parent company. “Regardless of which company is involved, our clients will get the benefit of a focused team of experts, using dedicated resources that reflect the world of continuing medical education (CME) for DiMedix.” Under the new structure, George Mammen, Ph.D., becomes senior VP and general manager of DiMedix. Dr. Mammen heads up the company’s scientific team, consisting of Jackie Ruka, VP; Cheryl Jackson, account director; and Matt Frese, CME alliance manager. The group works hand in hand with universities, identifying cutting-edge topics and conducting assessments to determine continuing educational needs. DiMedix also develops strategic approaches for different disease states. “The universities love the idea of working with a fellow academic,” Ms. Doyle says, who pointed out that the separation of staff had generated a high trust level for the firm on the part of both the research community and the medical associations. Both Ms. Doyle and Angela Fiordilino, executive VP, remain involved on the promotional side, managing strategy and clients respectively, as well as working on new business for Phoenix Marketing Solutions. The three women who founded Phoenix Marketing Solutions two years ago -and DiMedix eight months ago – have restructured the operation by forming Phoenix Group Holdings, an umbrella organization that serves to complete the corporate triangle and keep the existing companies separate. Angela Fiordilino (left), Executive VP, Michelle Cicchini (center), Chief Financial Officer, and Tracy Doyle, President and CEO, of Phoenix Group Holdings. Follow up The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO), Washington, D.C., represents the clinical outsourcing industry to customers, regulators, legislators, and the public and fosters continued advancement of medical product development. For more information, visit acrohealth.org. CMP Healthcare Media, San Francisco, delivers information to healthcare professionals via a diverse range of marketing and communication vehicles, including publications, Websites, and special projects. For more information, visit cmphealth.com. Elsevier/International Medical News Group, Morristown, N.J., is a publisher of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services. For more information, visit imng.com. Icoria Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C., is a biotechnology company that applies its proprietary systems biology platform to the discovery and development of safer, more effective drugs and agrichemicals. For more information, visit icoria.com. Phoenix group holdings, Warren, N.J., is the holding company for Phoenix Marketing Solutions LLC and DiMedix, which develop and execute promotional medical-education tactics and provide integrated marketing solutions and customized tactics that maximize salesforce effectiveness. For more information, visit phoenixmsolutions.com.
