MDS Pharma Services' Global Central Lab to Launch Apollo


A proprietary web-based study management system

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, Jan. 22 /- MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, announced today the launch of its proprietary Apollo study management system developed for its Global Central Lab business. Designed with valuable input from clients, Apollo is a unified, web-based study management tool for secure and transparent tracking of study samples and results. Apollo gives clients real-time, worldwide access to their study data virtually anywhere, anytime.

The system strengthens the "chain of custody" - from specimen collection to central lab receipt, to testing and sample storage - further improving the efficiency and quality of studies managed by MDS Pharma Services. And because the system is accessible virtually anywhere, anytime, it will enable MDS Pharma Services to respond quickly to changes in client needs and study requirements regardless of where the client is or where the work is being done.

Apollo provides a single interface for all aspects of protocol management, including protocol specifications, kit building, sample reception and test ordering, query identification and resolution, customizable results flagging, report distribution, frozen sample management, data extraction and invoicing. The experience for clients using Apollo will be consistent whether the work is being done in MDS sites in China, Singapore, France, Germany, Canada or the US.

"The Apollo system offers significant benefits to our customers, both in terms of efficiency and standardization in study management," said MDS Pharma Services President, David Spaight. "A single, global system with increased transparency of processes and data across all our sites will help us consistently deliver on our brand promise of quality, on-time results. And the Apollo system - which is exclusive to MDS Pharma Services - will help to redefine the customer experience allowing studies to start on time, run smoothly and end on time."

Based on input from client surveys, beta testing, and Lean Sigma process improvement initiatives at MDS Pharma Services, the Apollo system was specifically designed to provide real-time, worldwide access to data. It enables single study setup and supports MDS Pharma Services' core competencies, operating procedures and standards. Built on an Oracle database, the Apollo system is a truly singular database that replaces multiple legacy systems and sub-systems, helping to drive improvements in efficiency and quality across the central laboratory business. Apollo provides for global standardization of requisitions, reports, kits, barcode labels, as well as scientific information, and improves the accuracy and speed of sample reception and processing.

The new system provides client study teams a host of features that enable greater control over all aspects of the study. These features include:

- A dashboard for high-level overview of a trial, including automated kit expiry and test cancellation notification, alert/exclusion reports and query notices regarding pre-programmed escalations.

- Automatic detection of late or missing batch samples, third-party shipping list templates, automatic recall site notification, recall of frozen samples from affiliate laboratories and global frozen sample inventory reports.

- Kit building support, including latest bills of material, kit component inventories with specific lot numbers and expiry dates and pre-labeled tubes for delivery to study sites.

About MDS Pharma Services
MDS Pharma Services is committed to delivering quality results on time. We offer a full spectrum of resources to meet the drug discovery and development needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With numerous facilities strategically located around the world, we apply advanced scientific and technological expertise throughout the drug discovery and development process - from lead optimization, pre-IND research, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis through to global clinical development (phases IIb-IV), central lab and centralized cardiac services. For more information, visit our website at www.mdsps.com.

MDS Pharma Services is a business unit of MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ), a global life sciences company that provides market-leading products and services that our customers need for the development of drugs and diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has more than 5,500 highly skilled people in 28 countries. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.

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