RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Quintiles Transnational Corp. today announced that Hugo Stephenson, M.D., has been appointed as president of iGuard, effective immediately. Stephenson will be leading the company's new service that offers personalized safety information and alerts to patients on the prescription drugs they are taking. In this role, Stephenson reports directly to Stephen DeCherney, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer.
Prior to his appointment as president of iGuard, Stephenson had been Senior Vice President of Quintiles' Strategic Research and Safety services, a position he held since joining the company in 2003. Stephenson was the founder of Health Research Solutions, an Australian strategic research service provider acquired by Quintiles in 2002. He has a particular interest in strategic epidemiology and risk management, and he works closely with senior industry strategists to promote the use of strategic research activities to support advances in pharmaceutical research.
He is the author of Strategic Research: A Practical Handbook for Phase IIIB and Phase IV Clinical Studies, and has written and co-authored many articles. He holds degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Melbourne.
iGuard offers patients and physicians access to timely, personalized drug safety ratings and alerts. To receive the personalized alerts, patients enroll in iGuard through the Web site, http://www.iguard.org, and follow a simple series of steps to become part of a membership network. Patients create a secure personalized iGuard profile that includes questions about their demographics, medications and conditions which could impact their drug risks.
"We're capitalizing on Hugo's expertise in the area of risk management and the demand for consumer involvement in monitoring the safety of drugs that are on the market," said Dr. DeCherney.
The current U.S. drug safety monitoring system relies on physicians to voluntarily report any serious drug reactions. Physicians are expected to identify "signals" that a medication might be causing adverse events. However, it is estimated that only a small percentage of physicians file reports to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's postmarketing surveillance program, known as MedWatch. An FDA analysis found that pharmacists and consumers each filed more MedWatch reports than did physicians in 2004.
With iGuard, if a serious side effect is suspected based on the information provided by the patient, iGuard sends an FDA MedWatch form to the patient which they are instructed to give to their physician. In this way, iGuard empowers the patient to signal when a suspected adverse event occurs.
"iGuard will serve as a conduit for communication about drug safety," said Stephenson. "I believe that iGuard will contribute to improving our systems for gathering and disseminating information about drugs consumers are taking daily."
About iGuard
iGuard is fastest and easiest way for patients to get information and safety updates on the drugs they are taking. This drug safety monitoring program facilitates bi-directional exchange of timely and relevant information, enabling patients to take an active role in managing their health. iGuard maintains an efficient communication channel where patients and health professionals can monitor, evaluate and share information about drug risks and benefits. Registration is free online at http://www.iguard.org.
About Quintiles
Quintiles Transnational Corp. is powering the next generation of healthcare by providing a broad range of professional services in drug development, financial partnering and commercialization for the biotechnology and healthcare industries. With 19,000 employees and offices in more than 50 countries, it is focused on providing customer-centric solutions that are the gold standard of the industry. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.qtrn.com.
Quintiles Transnational Corp.CONTACT: Mari Mansfield, Media Relations of Quintiles Transnational Corp.,+1-919-998-2639, office, +1-919-259-3298, mobile,mari.mansfield@quintiles.com
