HUDSON, Mass., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Although more than 75 percent of pharmaceutical companies conduct clinical trials before getting FDA approval, useful trial information is not reaching the medical professionals who need it most. Skyscape today announced an agreement with Thomson CenterWatch to solve this problem by giving physicians PDA access to relevant facts on drugs in trials, patient eligibility and trial results.
The new Skyscape software, DrugTrials(TM) (Thomson CenterWatch Pipeline Intelligence) and DrugStudies(TM) (Thomson CenterWatch Clinical Trial Listings), is based on clinical trial information from Thomson CenterWatch. With a stylus tap, physicians can present patients with appropriate treatment suggestions, uncover trial results on relevant drugs and be more aware of local and national clinical trials.
"Unlike other services that just list barebones information for trial recruitment, this new solution provides a comprehensive resource physicians can use daily to provide better care for patients," said RJ Mathew, vice president of marketing and business development for Skyscape.
For example, if an oncologist is looking for all available treatment options for a patient with acute cancer-he can check the status of drugs in the research pipeline as well as determine if there are open clinical trials using the DrugStudies database via Skyscape's smARTlink(TM) technology.
The new Skyscape offerings include the following titles: -- DrugTrials (Thomson CenterWatch Pipeline Intelligence) -- When searching by medical condition, physicians can identify potentially life-saving treatments and learn about the safety and efficacy of treatments in active trials. The searchable database covers nearly 2,500 U.S. and Canadian drugs spanning phase I - IV, as well as post-marketing results. -- DrugStudies(TM) (Thomson CenterWatch Clinical Trial Listings)-- Users can search more than 14,000 industry-sponsored clinical trials actively recruiting patients either by geographic location or therapeutic area. This service is fully integrated with other Skyscape titles so if a relevant clinical trial is occurring for a similar drug, they can instantly find out and provide patients all their options.
"Our surveys have shown that more than 70% of patients are interested in information about clinical trials, but most of those patients have little to no idea who conducts clinical trials or where to find one," said Dan McDonald, vice president, Thomson CenterWatch. "With Skyscape, we are bringing crucial clinical data to physicians that did not previously have access or insight to these studies and will now be able to share timely information with patients at the point-of-care."
Pricing and Availability
DrugTrials and DrugStudies are easy to purchase, install and use on the handheld. Both are available online via a one-click download from http://www.skyscape.com/.
The DrugTrials suite, which includes DrugStudies, is available for $79.95- a 75 percent discount over the Web-based version. Alternatively, DrugStudies is available separately for $19.95.
In addition to the CenterWatch titles, Skyscape users can also select from Skyscape's ever-expanding portfolio of more than 240 trusted medical references in 35 specialties.
About The Thomson Corporation and CenterWatch
The Thomson Corporation (http://www.thomson.com/), with 2003 revenues from continuing operations of $7.6 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers in the fields of healthcare and scientific research, law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and testing and assessment. Its healthcare solutions include CenterWatch (http://www.centerwatch.com/), a leader in the clinical trials industry. With a specific focus on the clinical trials industry, CenterWatch is a Boston-based publishing and information services company that provides business journalism, reference databases, accredited training manuals, original research and analysis, and market intelligence services to assist organizations in managing and implementing clinical research strategies and operational initiatives. The Thomson Corporation's common shares are listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC).
About Skyscape
Skyscape is the leading provider of interactive, intelligent mobile solutions that improve the quality and efficiency of patient care and help reduce medical errors. Skyscape provides more than 240 of medicine's most trusted and reputable medical references, from more than 30 major medical publishers, for over 35 medical specialties, all integrated via its patented smARTlink technology. Skyscape's Constellation suites are all-in-one decision support solutions customized for individual specialties and include critical information on drugs, diseases, interactions, lab information, treatment options and guidelines. Skyscape has the largest installed base of paying customers in the industry, including hospitals, medical schools and individual practitioners at hundreds of leading institutions. Skyscape's solutions are available on multiple platforms, including Palm OS(R), Windows(R) CE and Pocket PC. For more information about Skyscape, visit http://www.skyscape.com/.
For information, contact: Erica King Mark McClennan/Julie Goldman Skyscape Schwartz Communications, Inc. (978) 562-5555 (781) 684-0770 erica@skyscape.comskyscape@schwartz-pr.com CenterWatch News Release Contact: Thomson Corporate Contact: Paul Molinari Kristen McCarthy Manager, Business Development Vice Pres., Marketing/Communications (617) 856-2991 (203) 425-1361 paul.molinari@thomson.comKristen.mccarthy@thomson.com
Thomson CenterWatchCONTACT: Erica King of Skyscape. +1-978-562-5555, erica@skyscape.com;Mark McClennan or Julie Goldman of Schwartz Communications, Inc., +1-781-684-0770, skyscape@schwartz-pr.com; Paul Molinari, Manager, Business Developmentof CenterWatch, +1-617-856-2991, paul.molinari@thomson.com; or KristenMcCarthy Vice Pres., Marketing/Communications of Thomson +1-203-425-1361,Kristen.mccarthy@thomson.com