Oracle to buy Relsys, adding to adverse-event management capabilities

Oracle (Redwood Shores, CA) has announced that it will acquire privately held Relsys International (Irvine, CA), Inc., for an undisclosed amount. The combined entity is expected to provide software applications that support end-to-end drug safety and pharmacovigilance processes across clinical development, post-market surveillance, and patient care.

Coincidentally, the week before, Relsys had unveiled the latest version of Argus Safety Suite, 5.0, with enhancements to usability and productivity.

The acquisition is in line with the Oracle view of pharmaceutical and biotech enterprise-wide computing, which holds that such companies seek solutions and vendors that can provide a “broad functional footprint across clinical, financial, manufacturing, supply chain, sales and marketing and post-marketing safety functional areas,” according to Arvindh Balakrishnan, senior director for the life sciences industry business unit at Oracle, during last fall’s Enterprise Computing: Roundtable in Print.

Industry analysts quoted in press reports, anticipating a stronger FDA and regulatory processes under the Obama administration in addition to a sustained focus on U.S. health care, view the acquisition favorably. The deal is expected to close by mid-year, according to Oracle.

“Identifying safety issues earlier in the development process can significantly reduce the costs and risks associated with bringing drugs and devices to market,” says Dave Bajaj, president and CEO at Relsys, in an announcement. Relsys currently boasts more than 100 pharmaceutical and biotech customers in more than 50 countries, according to an Oracle presentation. Its solutions support adverse event reporting, risk management, and data analysis for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, contract research organizations, and medical device companies.