REDMOND, Wash., July 1, 2004 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the first Microsoft Pharmaceutical Innovation Award, sponsored by Proscape Technologies Inc. Through this annual award, Microsoft will recognize the innovative use of technology by eligible pharmaceutical organizations to address the industry’s major challenges such as increasing business efficiencies across the enterprise, maximizing the value of their interactions with physicians and improving the quality of patient care. This year’s award is open to all Proscape customers that use Microsoft®
technology in an innovative way to achieve sales and marketing effectiveness. The call for award entries can be found on the Proscape home page ( http://www.proscape.com/ ) under News & Events.
The Pharmaceutical Innovation Award will be presented annually to the eligible pharmaceutical company that demonstrates market leadership in its use of technology to improve key functions of its business operations, from research and development to sales and marketing. One of the things that this year’s submissions should show is how the solutions are being used to inform and educate physicians in order to improve the overall quality of patient care.
“This award recognizes the strides pharmaceutical companies are taking in using technology to realize their potential through improved business efficiencies,” said Steve Chin, global life sciences industry manager for Microsoft Healthcare and Life Sciences. “The award reflects Microsoft’s growing commitment to helping the pharmaceutical industry address the tremendous challenges it faces in bringing drugs to market and improving patient care.”
“Proscape is pleased to sponsor this year’s Microsoft Pharmaceutical Innovation Award, as we find the nature of the award to be reflective of the significant change that is occurring in the pharmaceutical industry today,” said Derek Pollock, president of Proscape Technologies. “For the first time in history, pharmaceutical companies are applying technology to revolutionize their ability to provide value to physicians during the actual sales call, benefiting physicians and their patients alike.”
Awards Schedule
One winner will be selected and honored at the Pharmaceutical Marketing Congress, Sept. 27–29, in Philadelphia. Award judges will be selected from pharmaceutical companies, analyst firms and education institutions.
An online entry kit and full details are available on the Proscape home page ( http://www.proscape.com/ ) under News & Events. Entries must be submitted by fax or e-mail by 5 p.m. PDT on Sunday, Aug. 15. More information about the award is available from Monika Skibeness at [email protected] or (425) 316-3079.
About Microsoft Healthcare and Life Sciences
Microsoft provides standards-based products and technology to help the healthcare and life sciences industries break down information barriers between the disparate IT environments across provider organizations and physicians, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, government and private-sector employers, health insurers, and consumers. With Microsoft technology in place, healthcare organizations and individual workers collaborate more effectively, show greater productivity, and spend less time managing their IT infrastructure and more time delivering high-quality patient care.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .