Contract Win
Sopheon PLC
10 October 2007
Embargoed Release: 07:00hrs Wednesday 10 October 2007
Sopheon Plc
('Sopheon')
Leading European Center for Clinical Trials Research
Selects Sopheon's Accolade(R) System
The University Medical Center Utrecht Enhances Processes and
Strengthens Position in Rapidly Expanding Trials Outsourcing Market
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's Accolade product life cycle management
system to support its processes for conducting trials. Julius' research program
is comprised of initiatives sponsored by leading pharmaceutical companies,
universities and the government, including clinical investigations that involve
other UMC divisions.
Pharmaceutical companies are expected to increase spending for outsourced R&D
services by almost 15% annually for the next five years. The core of this
trend is the outsourcing of clinical development, which more and more
pharmaceutical executives see as a way to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
The outsourced model also makes it possible to complete trials more quickly.
The global growth in demand for outsourced clinical trial services is fueling
new levels of business opportunity for independent research operations such as
the Julius Center. Julius is a particularly attractive alternative because it
has unique competencies in the management of complex, global clinical trials
involving multiple medical centers.
More than 2,000 clinical trials are completed across UMC Utrecht each year, and
Julius conducts or oversees a large portion of these investigations. The
adoption of Accolade will help the organization handle a steadily growing volume
of trial activity. Accolade provides an automated process structure that will
enable the Center's research and program management staff to accelerate trial
preparation and execution. The system's data protection and management
capabilities will contribute to ensuring trial security and quality, and
facilitate more efficient collaboration among researchers. Implementation of
the system will also support compliance with European GCP (Good Clinical
Practice) directives for clinical trial execution.
'As acceptance of the outsourced model for clinical trials management has
increased among public and private organizations, our project pipeline has
become deeper and more complicated,' said Robert Veen, data management manager
for the Julius Center. 'Our deployment of Accolade has allowed us to take
project data previously recorded and stored on isolated tools like spreadsheets,
and consolidate them in a single, easily accessed repository. The flexibility
of the Accolade system, reflected in the fact that we can configure it on our
own, provides us with a platform that can accommodate multiple processes and a
nearly limitless range of specific process requirements. Accolade gives us
confidence that our trials will be executed consistently and with the kind of
rigorous quality control that will ensure the accuracy and reliability of their
outcomes. Sopheon's solution will allow us to take the professionalization of
our research processes to a whole new level.'
'The University Medical Center Utrecht is an international symbol of excellence
in scientific research and education,' said Huub Rutten, Sopheon's vice
president of research and development. 'Their clinical trial operations are,
like Sopheon and Accolade, focused on helping organizations get better products
to market faster. They have built their success on quality performance and an
abiding commitment to the pursuit of best practices. We are proud to be able to
contribute even indirectly to the invention of the important new medicines and
treatments that result from their efforts.'
- Ends -
Accolade(R) is a registered trademark of Sopheon plc.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the sole
property of their respective owners.
About Julius Center
Founded in 1996, the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care is part
of the University Medical Center Utrecht. It carries out scientific research,
provides education, and offers expertise and facilities in the area of clinical
health sciences, specializing in epidemiology, public health, general practice,
nursing, dietary science, and medical technology assessment. The center has a
leading and acquisitive position in the enlargement and dissemination of
knowledge, especially in the field of health sciences. This is done by means of
groundbreaking research and by the provision of courses for researchers and
clinicians. For more information, please visit the research section at
www.umcutrecht.nl
About Sopheon
Sopheon (LSE:SPE) is an international provider of software and services that
help organizations improve the business impact of product innovation. Sopheon's
Accolade system automates and governs the innovation process, enabling companies
to increase revenue and profits from new products. Sopheon is listed on the AIM
Market of the London Stock Exchange and on the Euronext in the Netherlands. For
more information, please visit www.sopheon.com
For further information contact:
Barry Mence, Chairman Sopheon plc Tel : + 44 (0) 1483 685 735
Arif Karimjee, CFO
Andrew Tan Hansard Tel : + 44 (0) 207 245 1100
+ 44 (0) 7957 203 685
Floor van Maaren Citigate First Financial Tel : + 31 (0) 205 754 010
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange