FAIRVIEW, N.J., July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- IMS HEALTH (NYSE: RX) today
announced plans to build the Internet's most comprehensive online
pharmaceutical sample fulfillment system, through its Clark-O'Neill unit in
partnership with Physician' Online. The Internet system will help physicians
increase the efficiency of their practices and enhance patient care.
Physicians' Online is the largest Internet physician community and
Clark-O'Neill the largest U.S. pharmaceutical sample fulfillment company. IMS
HEALTH is the world's leading provider of information solutions to the
pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
Physicians' Online (POL), which offers a secure, physician-only
environment on the Internet, was accessed from more than 170,000 unique,
client-enabled physician desktops during the months of January through June
1998, and is used by approximately 15,000 individual physicians each day.
Clark-O'Neill, the leader in pharmaceutical marketing services, combines the
capabilities of marketing support, sample fulfillment, physician and patient
communication with a prescription database that tracks more than
1 billion prescriptions annually.
On-Demand Access to Samples Will Improve Patient Care
The service, which will be available starting in September 1998, will make
pharmaceutical samples available to physicians, on demand, through their
desktop computers. "Pharmaceutical samples are an important tool for
physicians in providing the most appropriate patient care," said Physicians'
Online Chief Medical Officer, Beth Nash, M.D. "Doctors use samples to test
how a patient will react to a new therapy prior to writing a full
prescription." Nash went on to note how making samples available online will
enable physicians to use this important tool more effectively by granting them
access to samples more quickly and by making it easier for physicians to order
more samples.
"Distributing samples online will help pharmaceutical companies meet the
needs of the physician community by increasing their access to samples and by
enabling new channels of communication for the physicians and the
pharmaceutical companies," stated Richard Weiss, Vice President of Business
Development at Clark-O'Neill. "The combined capabilities of Clark-O'Neill's
fulfillment operations and POL's online physician community positions the two
companies to take a leadership role in healthcare electronic commerce and to
provide physicians and healthcare companies with innovative new services."
Physicians' Online
Physicians' Online, Inc. is a privately held company based in Tarrytown,
NY. The company operates the leading medical information and communication
network for physicians, the Physicians' Online Network (POL). Launched in
February 1994, POL provides a secure, physicians-only environment featuring
access to MEDLINE(R) and other medical databases, clinical symposia with peers
and national-experts CME credits, daily medical news, recruiting services,
private e-mail accounts, and Internet access, among many other services.
Through its award winning service, POL connects its members -- the world's
largest Internet community of authenticated physicians -- with colleagues,
professional associates, health plans, pharmaceutical manufacturers, luxury
goods and service providers, and others.
Clark-O'Neill and IMS HEALTH
Clark-O'Neill is the leading supplier of pharmaceutical marketing support
services, providing sample and product distribution tools, teleservices, peer
influence programs, targeted databases, and direct marketing support to
pharmaceutical manufacturers and advertising agencies. It is a unit of IMS
HEALTH, the world's leading provider of information solutions to the
pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. With more than $1 billion in 1997
revenue, IMS HEALTH operates in over 90 countries. IMS HEALTH is the largest
pharmaceutical manufacturer information partner, with over 40 years'
experience in the industry. Key products and services integral to customer
day-to-day operations include: market research for prescription and
over-the-counter pharmaceutical products; sales management information to
optimize sales force productivity; technology enabled selling solutions for
sales and marketing decision-making; and technology systems and information
services that support managed care organizations. Additional information and
previous press releases are available at IMS HEALTH's web site:
http://www.imshealth.com.
SOURCE IMS Health
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Related links:
http://www.imshealth.com
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com or
fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 115785
CONTACT:
Richard Weiss, of IMS Health, 201-313-2712;
or Laurie Murphy, of Physicians' Online, 914-332-6100
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