Microsoft Announces Winners of the 2008 Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovat...( Awards recognize best in-class Mic...),Health

Awards recognize best in-class, Microsoft-based solutions in clinical development, sales and marketing, and discovery and product innovation.

BOSTON, June 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced winners of the 2008 Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovation Awards, honoring companies that have made the most innovative use of Microsoft-based solutions for breakthroughs in business processes and practices throughout the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry.

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Announced at the Drug Information Association's (DIA) 44th Annual Meeting, the awards were presented in the categories of discovery and product innovation, sales and marketing, and clinical development.

"The companies recognized are examples of true innovators in their approaches to solving some of the major challenges facing the global life sciences industry," said Michael Naimoli, director of U.S. life sciences industry solutions at Microsoft. "Building on the Microsoft software platform, the winners demonstrated solutions that help streamline clinical trial and discovery processes and improve collaboration, bridging the gap between research, discovery and drug delivery."

Award Winners

Submissions for this year's awards came from global life sciences corporations specializing in biotechnology, diagnostics, medical equipment and devices, pharmaceuticals, animal health, nutritional products, and consumer health products. The winners are the following:

-- Discovery and Product Innovation: AstraZeneca and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and is a supplier for healthcare services. With more than 12,000 R&D employees spanning eight countries, cen
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