Skila Named a Leader in Pharmaceutical Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Management Platforms

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Skila, a Sela2 Company, announced today that an independent research firm has named the company a leader in Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Management Platforms, citing Skila's "distributed KOL Management Expertise" and "solid knowledge-sharing foundation" for the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry. Skila's iAdvocate solution was evaluated along with those of seven other companies in The Forrester Wave(TM): Key Opinion Leader Management Platforms, Q2 2006, Forrester Research, Inc., June 2006. Skila was top ranked in strategy consulting, relationship/KOL lifecycle management, and global reach, among other areas.

As the study elaborates, Skila is "Best Suited for Companies in Need of KOL Knowledge Management" and the company's strength is in its "ability to facilitate knowledge transfer across organizational silos." Key opinion leaders are among the most widely touched groups in the pharmaceutical marketing and commercialization process, often involving stakeholders across sales and marketing, medical, and clinical groups. According to Elizabeth Boehm, senior analyst at Forrester Research and Wave report author, Skila's solution "identifies, tracks, and consolidates various information sources to enhance access to decision support. Skila's services help develop networks within organizations, promote collaboration around key objectives, and facilitate the delivery of critical information." The result, she writes, is "more coordinated KOL relationship management." The report further notes that Skila's "heavily service-oriented approach makes it best suited to midsized life sciences firms that have outgrown ad-hoc collaboration."

For companies who require up-to-date information, analysis, and recommendations from solution partners, Skila provides Pull Through Services to aid fast-growing companies in moving their organization to become more competitive in KOL relationship management. Skila's iAdvocate solution is part of a broader set of capabilities including Marketing Performance Management, Competitive Intelligence, and Brand Communication, designed to provide a platform for pharmaceutical marketing organizations to grow over time.

Skila has implemented their iAdvocate solution on a global scale serving brands at both the corporate and country level. iAdvocate works as a complete solution providing strategic planning, targeting and segmentation, management planning tools, Medical Science Liaison support, and performance management. iAdvocate's Pull Through Services include customized 360-degrees KOL Profiles, MSL Territory Briefs, KOL Meeting Prep, and Conference Coverage. Recently, Boehringer Ingelheim implemented Skila's KOL management solution as a part of its Brand Resource Platform, serving products in various stages across Boehringer Ingelheim's brand portfolio in prescription medicine and consumer health. Skila's iAdvocate solution is currently being used in support of global brands across 32 countries in North America and Europe, including the United States, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Canada.

"We are honored to be recognized as a leader for our accomplishments on behalf of our clients," says Moish Tov, CEO of Skila. "Knowledge management and coordinated KOL relationship management have become an integral part of the brand commercialization process. With so much competition for access to physicians, Share of Mind with Thought Leaders has become just as important as traditional measures of Share of Voice. True KOLs are a very small and highly demanding group with whom building long-term relationships is a critical success factor. Successful companies need to be well-equipped to understand KOL needs and interests in order to develop the strongest and most mutually beneficial relationships."

About Skila

Skila is a global leader in providing comprehensive knowledge-driven management solutions for the pharmaceutical industry. Skila's solutions help the pharmaceutical industry increase their marketing and brand effectiveness and have been adopted by many of the leading companies in the industry, such as: Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Eli Lilly & Company, Allergan, and Johnson & Johnson. Utilizing expert services, unique methodology and its Intelligration(R) technology, Skila's solutions integrate critical information communicating it to the right people, at the right time through a "Single Touch Point." These solutions are vital to pharmaceutical organizations in successfully managing common business challenges such as:

  * Optimizing product launches
  * Maximizing the impact of strategic alliances with marketing partners
  * Effectively managing competitive intelligence for strategic
    advantage
  * Maximizing share of mind with key opinion leaders
  * Synchronizing measurement and performance of global brand teams
  * Maximizing effectiveness between marketing, sales, and medical teams

To receive more information, please call +1 (973) 889-1300 and ask for Business Development. In Europe, please call +44 (0)20 7396 1079, or email knowledgesolutions@skila.com.

You can also visit Skila on the web at http://www.skila.com/.