Epocrates Alerts U.S. Physicians to Raptiva Recall Within Hours
Company demonstrates power of mobile technology and patient safety benefits
SAN MATEO, CALIF., April 10, 2009 — Epocrates, Inc., a leading developer of clinical decision support software, was among the first to deliver the Raptiva® withdrawal news to physicians across the nation. Within hours of the withdrawal, Epocrates updated its drug databases and instantly released the content to 225,000 U.S. physicians who actively use its mobile and online products. Raptiva, a medication for treatment of psoriasis by Genentech, was withdrawn due to safety concerns of a potential risk to patients of developing a rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).
As an FDA MedWatch partner, Epocrates was notified by the FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program and took immediate action. The Epocrates Medical Information Team made the necessary changes to the Raptiva drug monograph and released it with an FDA MedWatch DocAlert message highlighting the withdrawal notice.
“More than 600,000 clinicians rely on us to put up-to-date clinical information and news in their hands. Our ability to deliver content in real-time to mobile devices, such as the iPhone and BlackBerry, enables clinicians to access and immediately act on critical information,” said Jeff Tangney, president and chief operating officer of Epocrates.
News of the Raptiva announcement was delivered using the Epocrates DocAlert® system, which routinely messages subscribers with clinically relevant content. Messages typically include evidence-based information from scholarly publications such as Journal Watch®, or medical news from MEDLINE® and other industry content providers.
Additional information on the drug withdrawal is available at: http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/safety09.htm#Raptiva
CONTACT: Erica Sniad Morgenstern Epocrates Public Relations PHONE: (650) 227-6907 E-MAIL: pr@epocrates.com WEB: www.epocrates.com All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.