Axway and Aegate Announce Alliance for Patient Safety and Global Supply Chain Security

ORLANDO, Flor. - Axway and Aegate have created an alliance to provide a framework for a secure and efficient drug supply, improving communication between product manufacturers, pharmacies and patients. The alliance is in response to industry-wide demand to proactively address security and patient safety in the global pharmaceutical supply chain.

This alliance is part of the global serialization track and trace initiative that Axway established in April 2008, to enable new business value across the supply chain. The alliance is comprised of multiple organizations, each of which contribute their respective expertise to enable end-to-end security in the pharmaceutical supply chain.

"As the pharmaceutical supply chain is stretched around the globe, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly concerned with potential weak links in the supply chain that would expose it to counterfeiting and diversion," said Gary Bachelor, VP, business development, Axway. "We are teaming up with Aegate to confront this issue head on. This collaboration will help organizations authenticate prescription drugs at the point of dispensation."

Counterfeiting and diversion continue to be a concern for the pharmaceutical industry and patient safety throughout the world. The problem is of particular concern to the pharmacies which are tasked with identifying suspect prescription drugs before they are dispensed. Unfortunately, most pharmacies generally lack the tools and the infrastructure to enable them to authenticate the drugs. Axway's Synchrony™ ePedigree solution combined with Aegate's authentication solution and services allows all parties in the supply chain to be compliant with current and developing drug supply chain regulations.

"Good communication between the drug manufacturer and the pharmacist is essential to ensuring patient safety. Since pharmacists are the last stop before reaching the patient, they are ultimately responsible for authenticating both the pedigree and the product before dispensing," said Graham Smith, VP business development, Aegate.

"The partnership between Aegate and Axway is significant for Aegate as it supports our current and future international expansion plans. Most importantly, it will address patient safety needs by assuring the security of the pharmaceutical supply chain from end to end."

For additional information on Synchrony Supply Chain Integrity Suite, please visit: www.axway.com/solutions/healthcare.php.

For additional information on Aegate, please visit www.aegate.com.

About Axway

Axway is the Business Interaction Networks company — the only provider in the market today to manage, run, secure, and monitor all of your business interactions, including email, files, messaging, services, events, and processes. Serving over 11,000 organizations in more than 100 countries, Axway facilitates the multi-enterprise transactions, processes and integration that accelerate business by eliminating the barriers between vendors, customers, departments, partners and suppliers. Axway's comprehensive offerings include business-to-business integration, managed file transfer, secure email, business activity monitoring, enterprise application integration, service-oriented architecture, business process management, track & trace and identity validation solutions. Axway provides professional and managed services, as well as cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Axway's global presence spans 20 countries.

About Aegate

Aegate provides a unique patient safety network that opens a direct, IT enabled communications channel between pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies and delivers product authentication within the pharmacy setting. The channel communicates real time pertinent safety and advisory information at the time of dispense, offering assurance to both the pharmacist and the product licence holder that good quality medicines are being delivered to patients. The Aegate service is currently in operation in Belgium, Greece and Italy, with plans in place for further international expansion in 2008. Aegate has been trading since 2003 and is backed by PA Consulting Group.