Pfizer launches iPhone service for doctors
pharmafile | June 3, 2010 | News story | Medical Communications | Apple, Epocrates, Pfizer, digital doctors, emedicine, iphone
A new service to allow doctors to communicate with Pfizer via iPhones and other mobile devices has been unveiled.
Clinicians will be able to direct queries to Pfizer about its products or to report adverse events.
The company is collaborating with US-based decision support company Epocrates, which gives doctors and other healthcare professionals access to medical information online and on mobile devices.
Pfizer is the first company to announce the move, which has been driven by demand from doctors themselves.
The announcement is another significant step forward for e-medicine, with medical decisions being assisted by access to electronic information and records, and monitored and recorded in the clinical setting.
Doctors will use the Epocrates drug reference app on their iPhone to make contact with Pfizer, and in due course, other pharma companies.
Pfizer says direct access to its Medical Information services, via the Epocrates channel will enhance the safe and effective use of its medicines.
The “Contact Pfizer” feature is now available in the Epocrates drug profiles of around 40 Pfizer products. The service will shortly be expanded to allow doctors to email Pfizer Medical Information regarding selected Pfizer products.
“Healthcare providers have told us they would like direct access to our medical specialists so they can communicate with us in an open, unbiased manner,” said Freda Lewis-Hall, M.D., Pfizer’s chief medical officer.
“They expect rapid and tailored scientific responses to their medical questions about our drugs. Our hope is that the introduction of this new and innovative feature on Epocrates enables doctors and other providers to enhance the care they can provide to their patients using Pfizer medicines.”
The companies cite findings from Manhattan Research, which says 72% of US doctors currently own smartphones; a number that is expected to increase to four out of five doctors by 2012. One of their primary uses is to look up prescription drug information at the point of patient care. Epocrates is the leader in the mobile drug reference and decision support space.
More than 950,000 healthcare professionals, including more than 40% of US physicians, actively use Epocrates products, commonly on mobile devices such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Palm.
“Epocrates is committed to providing healthcare providers with the resources they need to make the best clinical decisions for their patients at the point of care,” said Rose Crane, chief executive officer at Epocrates. “It is at this ‘moment of truth’ physicians may have a question only the manufacturer can answer.
“We are the only company in a position to facilitate that direct link, and significantly advance communication between a manufacturer such as Pfizer and our strong network of health care professionals.”
The “Contact Manufacturer” feature is initially available to iPhone and iPod touch device users of the Epocrates application, which includes nearly 25%, of US doctors. Epocrates says the feature is likely to be made available on other mobile platforms in the near future.
As the first company to make use of the facility, Pfizer helped support the concept and design to ensure the tool was developed to optimally manage queries.
Epocrates is a well-established provider of clinical information and decision support tools to healthcare professionals, with 40% of US doctors and medical students in its active network.
Related Content
NICE recommends Pfizer’s new once-weekly treatment for haemophilia B on NHS
Walton Oaks, 21st May 2025 – Pfizer Ltd announced today that the National Institute for Health and Care …
Pfizer releases results for severe RSV-associated LRTD treatment study
US-based Pfizer have announced results from its substudy B of the ongoing phase 3 clinical …
New Real-World Data Published in Journal of Cardiac Failure on Effectiveness
Patients treated with tafamidis were associated with greater rates of survival compared with patients untreated …
