First service to provide patients & physicians with immediate, personalized
safety information
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Today hundreds of
millions of Americans who regularly take prescription medicines have a new
tool giving them access to the most current information about the risk
profile of their medications through iGuard, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Quintiles Transnational Corp.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071004/CLTH002 )
Reinventing the way that drug safety information is communicated,
iGuard is the nation's only patient-driven program that provides timely,
accurate and personalized drug safety information for patients and their
physicians.
iGuard enables consumers to take an active role in managing their
health through this free online service. To receive personalized alerts,
patients enroll online at 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, medical history, and conditions that could
impact their drug safety risks.
Following completion of their profile, they are immediately sent
personalized risk ratings about the medications they take, including
interactions between drugs. In addition, when an issue with a drug arises,
such as side-effect warnings, warnings from the manufacturer or a medical
journal, or changes in the prescription label, iGuard will send a drug
safety alert to patients and the physician or physicians they designated in
their profile.
iGuard members will be asked to update their profile on a quarterly
basis. Should a serious adverse event be suspected, iGuard will send a
MedWatch form to the patient. Patients are instructed to give the form to
their physician for completion. MedWatch is the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration's safety information and adverse event reporting program.
Physicians who suspect a serious adverse event associated with a drug has
occurred submit the forms to the FDA. Because the data are ultimately
reported to MedWatch by the patient's physician, iGuard is a
patient-driven, physician-reported system.
Reports of adverse reactions to drugs increasing
The number of serious side effects and deaths reported to the FDA has
more than doubled over an eight-year period, according to report recently
published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Vol. 167 No. 16, September
10, 2007). This, and the resulting media coverage, has heightened physician
and patient awareness about the need for more immediate, accurate drug
safety information.
People need immediate information
"iGuard puts the power of drug safety in the hands of each American,
right where it should be," says Dr. Hugo Stephenson, iGuard's founder and
president. "Consumers don't want to be drug experts -- they want a signal,
an alarm, if something goes wrong. iGuard is the smoke detector for
patients. It's always working in the background collecting data that can be
used to identify safety signals, providing researchers access to the
de-identified iGuard database, and communicating research findings back to
patients based on the medications they are taking."
Stephenson, a medical doctor with a particular interest in epidemiology
and risk management, works closely with patients, academics/government,
pharmacists, physicians and the industry to advance drug safety in the US.
An early pioneer in medical decision support, he is an internationally
renowned expert on drug safety research, having previously led Quintiles'
post- marketing and safety services division prior to starting iGuard.
Alerting millions of Americans at heightened risk
People taking multiple medications daily are at greater risk for
dangerous drug interactions that may cause serious and even life
threatening side effects. Millions of people are in this category and
senior citizens are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon. iGuard
provides a risk rating system to help people learn about drug interactions
and other dangerous effects.
Dr. Judith Jones, MD., Ph.D., President and CEO of the Degge Group,
Ltd., a drug safety research company, says, "Drug safety is front and
center on the public health radar screen, and iGuard provides a unique,
patient-centered solution in real-time."
About iGuard
iGuard is a wholly owned subsidiary of Quintiles Transnational Corp.
and is the 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.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Hugo Stephenson
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=67978
SOURCE iGuard
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Related links:
http://www.www.iguard.org
http://www.quintiles.com http://www.qtrn.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071004/CLTH002
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org AP PhotoExpress
Network: PRN3
CONTACT:
Mari Mansfield, Media Relations,
+1-919-998-2639, or mobile, +1-919-259-3298,
mari.mansfield@quintiles.com
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