FORT LEE, N.J., Apr 25, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Recipients have been selected for the 2012 SAFE-BioPharma Digi Awards recognizing innovative uses of the global SAFE-BioPharma(R) digital identity and digital signature standard and the institutions and individuals contributing to broader understanding of its benefits. They include representatives of two U.S. government entities, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Astellas, Verizon and a leading journalist covering the life sciences.
The SAFE-BioPharma standard is being used globally to transition the biopharmaceutical and healthcare communities to paperless environments.
"The selected companies and individuals have helped advance the use and understanding of SAFE-BioPharma as a way to ensure trust in online identities and to apply legally binding digital signatures to electronic documents," said Mollie Shields-Uehling, president and CEO, SAFE-BioPharma Association. The Board of Directors of the non-profit consortium made the selections from nominations submitted from the biopharmaceutical, healthcare and information security sectors.
Recipients will be recognized June 24 at an awards ceremony during the one-day Trusted Identities in Cyberspace meeting on the use of standardized identity trust to improve speed, cost and efficiency in cloud collaboration. The meeting, co-hosted by the Drug Information Association and SAFE-BioPharma, will take place at the Philadelphia Convention Center, at the start of DIA's annual meeting.
Digi recipients, by award category, follow:
Innovative implementation of the SAFE-BioPharma standard
-- Steven Friedman, National Cancer Institute, and Cindy Cullen, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, were selected for their participation in a pioneering use of interoperable digital identities by a small group of government and industry cancer researchers that demonstrates how clinical trial initiation can be accelerated while reducing costs.
Innovative product compliance
-- Verizon Business, Identity Solutions Group was selected for development of the SAFE-BioPharma Zero Footprint Roaming (ZFR) credential, allowing use of mobile computing technology to authenticate identities for secure access to cloud environments and workspaces, and to digitally sign electronic documents. Among other applications, ZFR applies to in a broad range of clinical trial work, including the enrollment process, investigator oversight, provisioning of sample product, data collection, and document and dossier compilation for regulatory approval.
Individual who has contributed to standard's use and advancement
-- Peter Alterman, Asst. CIO for EAuthentication, National Institutes of Health, was selected for playing a critical role (as Chairman of the Federal PKI Policy Authority) in creating foundational tools for developing and promulgating use of interoperable digital identities by U.S. government employees and for ushering in the era of eSubmissions. The judges also cited Dr. Alterman's leadership in laying the groundwork for conducting future paperless clinical trials.
Global expansion
-- Astellas Pharma Inc. was selected for a SAFE-BioPharma virtual clinical study pilot project in Japan involving the Japan Medical Association Center for Clinical Trials and three general hospitals under Ibaraki Hospital Center of Hitachi, Ltd. In the pilot, clinical trial contracts and IRB review reports were signed digitally by Astellas as a virtual sponsor and by medical professionals at the hospitals.
Journalistic reporting
-- Rob Wright, editor, Life Science Leader magazine was selected for his recognition of the significance of digital identities and digital signatures in both biopharmaceuticals and healthcare. He developed and published a thorough roundtable discussion on the subject featuring leading authorities. This multi-page article appeared in the December issue of Life Science Leader.
This is the first of what will become an annual nomination and selection process. for more...
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/recipients-of-2012-safe-biopharma-digi-awards-named-2012-04-25
