SPE.L Regulatory News (SPE)

10 Oct 2007 14:45

Sopheon, the international software and services company,announced today that the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht,represented by its division the Julius Center, has selected Sopheon'sAccolade product life cycle management system to support its processesfor conducting clinical trials. Julius' research program is comprisedof initiatives sponsored by leading pharmaceutical companies,universities and the government, including trial investigations thatinvolve other UMC divisions. £ Pharmaceutical companies are expected to increase spending foroutsourced research and development services by almost 15% annuallyfor the next five years. The core of this trend is the outsourcing ofclinical development, which more and more pharmaceutical executivessee as a way to reduce costs and increase efficiency. The outsourcedmodel also makes it possible to complete trials more quickly. Theglobal growth in demand for outsourced clinical trial services isfueling new levels of business opportunity for independent researchoperations such as the Julius Center. Julius is a particularlyattractive alternative because it has unique competencies in themanagement of complex, global clinical trials involving multiplemedical centers. £ More than 2,000 clinical trials are completed across UMC Utrechteach year, and Julius conducts or oversees a large portion of theseinvestigations. The adoption of Accolade will help the organizationhandle a steadily growing volume of trial activity. Accolade providesan automated process structure that will enable the Center's researchand program management staff to accelerate trial preparation andexecution. The system's data protection and management capabilitieswill contribute to ensuring trial security and quality, and facilitatemore efficient collaboration among researchers. Implementation of thesystem will also support compliance with European GCP (Good ClinicalPractice) directives for clinical trial execution. £ "As acceptance of the outsourced model for clinical trialsmanagement has increased among public and private organizations, ourproject pipeline has become deeper and more complicated," said RobertVeen, data management manager for the Julius Center. "Our deploymentof Accolade has allowed us to take project data previously recordedand stored on isolated tools like spreadsheets, and consolidate themin a single, easily accessed repository. The flexibility of theAccolade system, reflected in the fact that we can configure it on ourown, provides us with a platform that can accommodate multipleprocesses and a nearly limitless range of specific processrequirements. Accolade gives us confidence that our trials will beexecuted consistently and with the kind of rigorous quality controlthat will ensure the accuracy and reliability of their outcomes.Sopheon's solution will allow us to take the professionalization ofour research processes to a whole new level." £ "The University Medical Center Utrecht is an international symbolof excellence in scientific research and education," said Huub Rutten,Sopheon's vice president of research and development. "Their clinicaltrial operations are, like Sopheon and Accolade, focused on helpingorganizations get better products to market faster. They have builttheir success on quality performance and an abiding commitment to thepursuit of best practices. We are proud to be able to contribute evenindirectly to the invention of the important new medicines andtreatments that result from their efforts." £ Accolade(R) is a registered trademark of Sopheon plc. £ All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the soleproperty of their respective owners. £ About Julius Center £ Founded in 1996, the Julius Center for Health Sciences and PrimaryCare is part of the University Medical Center Utrecht. It carries outscientific research, provides education, and offers expertise andfacilities in the area of clinical health sciences, specializing inepidemiology, public health, general practice, nursing, dietaryscience, and medical technology assessment. The center has a leadingand acquisitive position in the enlargement and dissemination ofknowledge, especially in the field of health sciences. This is done bymeans of groundbreaking research and by the provision of courses forresearchers and clinicians. For more information, please visit theresearch section at www.umcutrecht.nl. £ About Sopheon £ Sopheon (LSE:SPE) is an international provider of software andservices that help organizations improve the business impact ofproduct innovation. Sopheon's Accolade system automates and governsthe innovation process, enabling companies to increase revenue andprofits from new products. Sopheon is listed on the AIM Market of theLondon Stock Exchange and on the Euronext in the Netherlands. For moreinformation, please visit www.sopheon.com. Copyright Business Wire 2007