Cognizant signs 5-yr pact with AstraZeneca

IT and outsourcing services provider Cognizant Technologies has signed a five-year agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to support delivery of clinical data management services.

The tie-up eyes $95 million revenues, Cognizant said on Monday.

Under the agreement, Cognizant will provide centralised clinical data management services, including data management planning, clinical studies, medical coding, adverse event reconciliation and training for AstraZeneca's global clinical development programmes.

AstraZeneca will use these services to improve its R&D efficiencies.

In 2004, AstraZeneca had roped in Cognizant for its businesses in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific. Cognizant's healthcare and life sciences division has been finding a place in the Healthcare Informatics Top 100 list since the last three years.

The division provides domain-aligned consulting, business process and analytics solutions and employs over 10,000 professionals, including doctors, pharmacologists, biomedical engineers, pharmacists, biostatisticians, medical writers and GxP consultants.

Cognizant employs over 55,000 people in 35 delivery centres globally.