Biogen and Lionbridge Partner To Launch International PsoriasisSupport.com Portal
Lionbridge Manages Multilingual Content for Psoriasis Patients and Physicians Worldwide
WALTHAM, Mass. — November 5, 2002 — Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: LIOX) today announced it has engaged with Biogen, Inc. (Nasdaq: BGEN) to develop and support a global website aimed at educating and providing support for patients with psoriasis, a chronic skin disease that affects more than 10 million people worldwide.
The PsoriasisSupport.com site, which was introduced in the United States this summer, is now being launched in France (.net), Germany (.de), Sweden (.nu) and The Netherlands (.nl), enabling patients to gain valuable insight into the disease and its treatments, as well as to participate in a supportive community.
With expertise in multilingual content management, Lionbridge is working with Biogen to localize the web content into French, German, Dutch and Swedish, and to extend the globalization features of Biogen's Documentum (Nasdaq: DCTM) enterprise content management (ECM) system. Using LionAccess, a Lionbridge platform, Biogen and Lionbridge are equipped to create, edit, localize and publish multilingual content from Biogen's Documentum content management system, thereby enabling efficient management of all PsoriasisSupport content in multiple languages.
Lionbridge was selected by Biogen based on its global footprint, multilingual content management technology expertise and its relationships with Documentum and Braun Consulting (Nasdaq: BRNC), a professional services firm that helped develop the psoriasissupport.com portal.
"Biogen's objective is to enable people with psoriasis to live healthier, fuller lives. The PsoriasisSupport web resources are key factors in enabling us to achieve that goal. It is crucial that the content on the site be dynamic, relevant and understandable for all audiences worldwide," said Bob Hamm, Senior Vice President, International, Biogen. "Lionbridge's expertise in developing content that meets local language, industry and privacy requirements for each region, combined with its technology leadership in global content management are invaluable for us as we continue to serve the psoriasis community."
"Biogen is clearly on the leading edge of companies that are optimizing their business processes to reach and leverage global markets," said Rory Cowan, Chairman and CEO, Lionbridge. "With our experience in the life sciences industry and our language and technology expertise, Biogen has a partner with the resources, expertise and commitment to accelerate their worldwide leadership."
About Biogen
Biogen, Inc., winner of the U.S. National Medal of Technology, is a biotechnology company principally engaged in discovering and developing drugs for human healthcare through genetic engineering. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, the Company's revenues are generated from worldwide sales of AVONEX® (interferon beta-1a) for treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (please see full prescribing information at avonex.com), and from the sales by licensees of a number of products. Biogen's research and development activities are focused on novel products to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, cancer, fibrosis and congestive heart failure.
About Lionbridge
Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. provides solutions for worldwide deployment of technology and content to global 2000 companies in the technology, life sciences and financial services industries. Lionbridge testing and compatibility services, globalization solutions and multilingual content management technologies help clients reduce cost, speed time to market and ensure the integrity of global brands. Based in Waltham, Mass., Lionbridge maintains facilities in Ireland, The Netherlands, France, Germany, China, South Korea, Japan, Brazil and the United States. To learn more, visit www.lionbridge.com.