SupplyScape and VeriSign Announce Interoperability of E-Pedigree Solutions
Woburn, MASS. And Mountain View, CA., February 7, 2006 -- SupplyScape Corporation and VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), two organizations that are leading the development and deployment of electronic pedigree solutions, today announce pedigree interoperability in advance of an industry-wide standard. Both organizations are participating in industry efforts to define a standard for communicating pedigree information and anticipate supporting those standards when they are ratified.
Members of the pharmaceutical supply chain need interoperability to enable electronic pedigrees in compliance with emerging state regulations. Florida will require that all wholesale trading partners use pedigrees beginning July 1, 2006. A similar law comes into effect in California on January 1, 2007. Ten other states have adopted pedigree laws, and another dozen states are considering similar drug safety regulations.
In order to support interoperability, officials from the two companies submitted formats to the Pedigree Messaging Work Group of industry consortium EPCglobal in September 2005. The companies collaborated with industry participants toward ratification of an industry standard which is expected this spring. Technical teams from both companies have reviewed and discussed each other's formats and have certified that the core elements exist to process each other's data.
"The work we have done, both in the formal standards processes and directly, ensures pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers and pharmacies that pedigree systems will work seamlessly with suppliers and customers, now and in the future" said SupplyScape President Shabbir Dahod.
The two companies worked together not only to meet pedigree requirements, but also to clarify business processes related to pedigree adoption.
"To achieve an intelligent and secure supply chain, our customers must be able to receive electronic pedigrees from their suppliers and transmit pedigrees to their customers," said Jeff Richards, Vice President of Intelligent Supply Chain Services with VeriSign. "Our collaboration demonstrates our commitment to meet customer requirements for streamlined supply chain systems that are compliant with the state regulations."
About SupplyScape
SupplyScape Corporation provides supply chain security software and expertise to safeguard the pharmaceutical supply chain. SupplyScape's products and services including electronic pedigree and drug serial number authentication are used by pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, distributors, and pharmacies to help protect the drug supply from counterfeits. For more information, visit www.supplyscape.com.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN) operates intelligent infrastructure services that enable businesses and individuals to find, connect, secure, and transact across today's complex global networks. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.verisign.com.
VeriSign&$174; Intelligent Supply Chain Services enable trusted, secure and scalable information exchange and collaboration among global supply chain participants. VeriSign's Electronic Pedigree Service helps enable distributors, manufacturers, and pharmacies to implement their compliance strategies. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.VeriSign.com.
For more information from VeriSign, contact:
VeriSign Media Relations: Pat Burns, pburns@verisign.com, 703-948-4471
VeriSign Investor Relations: Tom McCallum, tmccallum@verisign.com, 650-426-3744
For more information from SupplyScape, contact:
SupplyScape Media Relations: Toni Pommet, toni@supplyscape.com, 781-305-8085 x431
