Abstract
The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by mergers and restructuring; extensive use of outsourcing and global development strategies; new regulatory requirements for electronic records; new methodologies for conducting large clinical trials; and the need to effectively exchange information between the components of a corporate information system. Middleware connectivity and the workflow management systems ensure comprehensive integration of a corporate information system. Middleware enables pharmaceutical companies to exchange information between multiple systems or components, and to use and distribute the information on a server using an event-driven mechanism. Workflow technology can streamline and secure the information flow and approval processes, supplying a tool to electronically view, manage, revise, share, and distribute virtually any information or document across the enterprise without paper. With these tools, information management can move from the traditional request/replay model, in which users and applications must ask for status updates on needed information, to an event-driven approach, in which they receive this information automatically when it becomes available. A strategy for an adaptive evolution of the information management process in response to continuous improvements in technology and the evolution of business strategies is presented.
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