Thomson Scientific Extends Pharmaceutical Regulatory Intelligence Coverage In South East Asia

IDRAC Database Enhancement Reflects ASEAN Plans For Pharmaceutical Harmonization

Philadelphia, PA USA, London UKThomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, today announced an addition to its coverage of emerging and growing pharmaceutical markets in Asia and the Pacific rim. The new ASEAN module in the IDRAC database provides comprehensive regulatory information related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including details of planned harmonization schemes for its pharmaceutical industry. This is essential information for pharmaceutical companies seeking to develop drugs in this region.

IDRAC is recognized by regulatory professionals the world over as the leading authority in global regulatory intelligence. Updated weekly, it brings together all the information needed to monitor regulatory requirements in 48 countries and regions. The optional new ASEAN module provides:

• Explanatory documents covering the background and objectives of the ASEAN community, its organization, language, harmonization process and regulations
• Reference texts covering harmonized guidelines, including ASEAN Common Technical Document (CTD) guidelines

“The ASEAN community is working towards harmonization of pharmaceuticals by 2008” said Claude Basset, Managing Director of IDRAC, Thomson Scientific. “The new IDRAC module delivers highly focused regulatory intelligence from this region, maintaining the unsurpassed breadth of coverage that our customers rely on”.

ASEAN member countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The community will celebrate its 40th anniversary later this year.

Additional information about IDRAC is available at scientific.thomson.com/products/idrac

Note to media:
You are invited to see a demonstration of this module at the Drug Information Association 19th Annual European Meeting, March 26-28 in Vienna, Austria.

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