THOMSON ACQUIRES PHARMACEUTICAL INFORMATION ASSOCIATES LTD AND ASTROLABE ANALYTICA, INC.
Philadelphia, PA USA-London UK - June 1, 2005 — Today, The Thomson Corporation (NYSE:TOC: TSX: TOC) announced that it has acquired Pharmaceutical Information Associates Ltd (PIA) and Astrolabe Analytica, Inc. (AAI). PIA and AAI are leading providers of regulatory consulting, marketing analytics and scientific communications services for the pharmaceutical industry. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Solutions and services provided by Pharmaceutical Information Associates Ltd. and Astrolabe Analytica, Inc. complement the extensive regulatory information and competitive intelligence currently offered by Thomson to global pharmaceutical companies. "Using these companies’ services and products in conjunction with our existing industry-leading portfolio of information solutions will allow drug makers to make more effective strategic decisions in their regulatory affairs, marketing, and medical communications," said Vin Caraher, president & CEO of Thomson Scientific.
Pharmaceutical Information Associates Ltd. facilitates the preparation of scientific information from non-clinical and clinical development programs as components of the global regulatory submission process.
PIA also designs, conducts, and audits clinical studies. The world's top pharmaceutical companies rely on PIA to navigate effectively and efficiently through the global drug and regulatory submission process.
Astrolabe Analytica, Inc. provides the global pharmaceutical industry with innovative analytical tools and supportive custom services to maximize the return on their investment in new product development, marketing strategies, and integrated communication programs. AAI allows world-class pharmaceutical companies to better understand how the market perceives their products by using its proprietary ASTROLABE Message Mapping System TM.
Pharmaceutical Information Associates CEO and Founder, Lawrence Liberti, expressed similar enthusiasm saying, "We have great confidence that Pharmaceutical Information Associates and Astrolabe Analytica’s capabilities and market intelligence combined with the Thomson global reach, content, and leadership in the pharmaceutical information industry will bring great benefit to our customers."
Both businesses will become part of the scientific business within the Thomson Scientific and Healthcare market group.
About Pharmaceutical Information Associates
Since 1990, PIA (www.pialtd.com) has supported the global drug development process by assisting with regulatory strategy development, the preparation of regulatory documentation, and the design, conduct, and audit of specialized clinical studies.
About Astrolabe Analytica Inc.
Astrolabe Analytica, Inc. (www.astrolabeanalytica.com) is the developer of the ASTROLABE Message Mapping
SystemTM, consisting of proprietary databases and interfaces, designed to help pharmaceutical companies measure the impact of articles published in medical literature from the point of view of the practicing clinician. The University City Science Center in Philadelphia is a shareholder in AAI and was instrumental in incubating the company.
Thomson Reuters (www.thomsonreuters.com), with 2005 revenues of approximately $8.5 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate e-learning and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 40,500 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation’s common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).
Scientific is a business of Thomson Reuters. Its information solutions assist professionals at every stage of research and development—from discovery to analysis to product development and distribution. Thomson scientific information solutions can be found at www.scientific.thomson.com.