Within3 Enters Into Agreement with The JB Ashtin Group, Inc. to Drive Innovation in the Life Sciences Market

CLEVELAND and PLYMOUTH, Mich., March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Within3, the world leader in online communities for healthcare professionals (HCPs), and The JB Ashtin Group, Inc. (JB Ashtin) a full-service scientific agency offering strategic medical communications solutions to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, announced today that they are combining their expertise to capitalize on a growing set of opportunities in the life sciences marketplace.

As part of a shared strategy to provide a full range of services to life science companies seeking to engage with health professionals through innovative online channels, Lance Hill, CEO, of Within3 and Joan Bradley, PharmD, CEO, of JB Ashtin are teaming up to combine community technology and professional services with best practices in medical and scientific communications. "Healthcare Providers are engaging in online communities like never before.  For the life sciences industry, the opportunity to incorporate this emerging channel into core business strategies has reached a true tipping point," stated Hill.

According to JB Ashtin's market research, the Internet, personal communication devices, and tablet PCs are game changers in the healthcare and pharmaceutical marketing arenas. HCPs today are technophiles. Almost 80% of physicians use smart phones and two-thirds of physicians rely on user-generated content for professional education and healthcare-related information. HCPs are interested in participating in "Smart Conferences" that rely on the PC, smart phones, and tablet devices for networking, for learning through interactive workshops, and for engaging in numerous other applications. The only way for pharma to compete in this market is to have relevant content and comprehensive services available through these channels.

"Better patient care depends on the empowered expertise of healthcare professionals who are dedicated to learning, practicing, and evolving medicine. When these professionals can engage directly with each other, the result is better outcomes for all," said Hill. "With our understanding of HCP networking and the technologies available to achieve this goal, we believe that we are uniquely positioned to help accelerate how HCPs and organizations are advancing the practice of medicine," he stated.  

Bradley stated, "Communication is the key word -- pharma's ability to get its message across effectively and to the right person is paramount. Moreover, pharma needs to find out what it takes to continually engage physicians, not just deliver a message."  She said, "Now is the perfect time for pharma to utilize the marketing and research capabilities available through online communities and start some great conversations. This is an optimal time to develop focused outreach strategies that educate, motivate, and generate product awareness, while being totally compliant with current PhRMA and governmental regulations."

Specifically, JB Ashtin will work with Within3 on select projects to provide scientific content expertise, message development know-how, and project management leadership to help create fresh, relevant, truthful, and transparent information via these online communities.  

Both Within3 and JB Ashtin offer a staff of experienced professionals that have a deep understanding of the industry landscape, with a strong culture of superior service and needs anticipation. With cross-functional experience in the pharmaceutical and HPC industries, they will be able to offer clients a comprehensive perspective on developing communication products for the lifecycle of their products.

About Within3

Within3 is the leader in building online communities that enable healthcare professionals to efficiently connect, collaborate, and share information on a 24/7 basis. Highly branded and customized, Within3 communities energize members by providing an array of interactive capabilities. Working with health systems, medical schools, professional associations, research groups, and industry, Within3's goal is to ensure that each community adds value to both organizational clients and to individual members. For more information about Within3, visit www.within3.com.        

About JB Ashtin

JB Ashtin is a full-service scientific agency that has provided strategic scientific communications solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotech, device, and consumer industries since 1999. We proactively work with clients to design and implement dynamic, original, and educational projects that foster product and disease state awareness for a variety of audiences. Our goal is to bring outstanding value and results to our clients and their customers with a personal hands-on approach. For more information about The JB Ashtin Group, Inc., visit www.jbashtin.com.

CONTACT:  Kathy Ruggeri, +1-216-272-6389, [email protected]

SOURCE Within3