For Immediate Release:
VelQuest Announces Collaboration with AstraZeneca
Opening the Door to a Paperless Laboratory
Environment
VelQuest Corporation,
Hopkinton, MA, March 6, 2001: VelQuest, a leading provider of Electronic
Process Management and Compliance technology, ePMC ™, to the heavily regulated
life-science environment including pharmaceutical development, quality operations,
manufacturing, generic pharmaceuticals, biotechnology companies and contract
analytical laboratories and AstraZeneca, a worldwide leading pharmaceutical
provider announced today that they are implementing VelQuest’s ePMC solution.
VelQuest’s ePMC solution
was chosen as the best approach for the project because the solution enables
quality controlled automated data collection from networked laboratory instruments,
and it facilitates prompt and easy retrieval of process data from a centrally
located database. VelQuest's innovative and proprietary ePMC solution promotes
the collection of quality data by linking data collection to standard operating
procedures and provides a complete history for all process data. Furthermore,
the VelQuest ePMC solution serves recent FDA regulations, specifically Rule
21 CFR Part 11, governing the use of electronic records and signatures in FDA
regulated research, manufacturing and clinical facilities.
"A critical challenge faced by pharmaceutical companies is increasing
productivity without sacrificing process control and compliance standards,"
said Michael Stroz, Sr. Manager of Analytical at AstraZeneca’s Westborough,
MA Production facility. "After studying this sector in detail, we believe
VelQuest’s solution will reduce time for reviewers by 50%, liberate over 20%
of our overall lab operations staff, and create an electronic compliance platform
for today and the future".
“This collaboration is a significant step towards solving critical pharmaceutical
development and quality operations resource challenges. Our research concluded
that up to 70% of staff in these areas are devoted to paper-based compliance
driven activities. Creating a real-time electronic laboratory compliance platform
will help companies liberate resources, reduce quality control release times,
and enable our customers to bring important new human therapeutics to the market
more rapidly.”stated Ken Rapp, VelQuest Corporation's President and CEO.
Currently, VelQuest is deploying its initial ePMC product at several global
pharmaceutical companies. The company plans to continue to develop additional
efficiency and compliance oriented technology for the pharmaceutical laboratory
environment .
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) is a major international healthcare business engaged
in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of ethical (prescription)
pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services.
It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the word with healthcare
sales of $15 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology,
anesthesia (including pain management), cardiovascular, central nervous system
(CNS) and respiratory products. In
the United States, AstraZeneca is a $4.7 billion healthcare business with more
than 10,000 employees.
About VelQuest
VelQuest Corporation, headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the innovator
of an Electronic Compliance Platform enabling the Paperless Laboratory, has
developed a complementary platform for pharmaceutical quality operations.
VelQuest’s ePMC technology provides a fully validated, paperless approach to
data acquisition, documentation, storage and retrieval for use in new product
submissions, product releases, and stability testing, quality assurance and
management analysis. More information can be found at www.velquest.com
Editorial Contact
Ed Halpin
508-497-3629
edh@VelQuest.com
