H.D. SMITH, BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM AND AXWAY WIN HDMA’s IBUSINESS SOLUTION AWARDS

Awards Presented at the 2006 HDMA Distribution Management Conference & Technology Expo

Chris Mitiquy, HDMA Chairman (left), and Nancy Hanagan, HDMA Executive Vice President and COO (right) present the iBusiness Award to Ron Gabrisko, Vice President of Health and Life Sciences, Axway. Click on photo for larger image.

Chris Mitiquy, HDMA Chairman (left), and Nancy Hanagan, HDMA Executive Vice President and COO (right) present the iBusiness Award to Daniel Parnell, Vice President, Shared Services, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Click on photo for larger image.

Chris Mitiquy, HDMA Chairman (left), and Nancy Hanagan, HDMA Executive Vice President and COO (right) present the iBusiness Award to Chris Smith, Executive Vice President, H. D. Smith. Click on photo for larger image.

Arlington, Va. (June 12, 2006) – Honoring the use of innovative technology to streamline supply chain operations and improve business efficiencies, the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) presented its iBusiness Solution Awards to H.D.Smith, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Axway, Inc. at the HDMA 2006 Distribution Management Conference & Expo (DMC) in Phoenix, AZ.

“HDMA members consistently strive to deliver safety, value and efficiency through the use of innovative technologies, products and services. This year’s iBusiness Award winners represent the best of these efforts, and have put in place creative technologies that address critical business needs,” said HDMA President and CEO John M. Gray. “The iBusiness Solution Award recognizes improvements in productivity, operational efficiencies and customer services in the healthcare industry.”

In the distributor category, the iBusiness Solution Award was presented to H.D. Smith for its Homecare Connection, an online catalog that allows customers to quickly and efficiently access product descriptions, costs and inventory counts on the Web. Homecare Connection also publishes the Medicare allowable reimbursement rates, by state, for all products, effectively helping customers automate and streamline ordering and reimbursement processes.

In the manufacturer category, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals' award-winning solution allows trading partners to quickly and easily generate account balances and financial statements online. Using the Touchpoint 2.0 Finance Center, trading partners are able to dynamically download detailed financial information, receive business event-driven alerts, check on pending financial transactions and look up available credits on demand.

In the affiliate category, Axway, Inc.'s iBusiness Solution is a secure, Internet-based solution that reduces expenses and offers more efficiencies than paper-based processes. The Cyclone CSOS system delivers increased security and greater visibility into electronic controlled substance ordering transactions, while ensuring compliance with DEA regulations.

About HDMA

The Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) and its members are committed to patient safety by delivering life-saving health products and services through a secure and efficient healthcare distribution system.  These primary healthcare distributors, representing more than 90 percent of the distribution system, are responsible for ensuring that billions of units of medication are safely delivered -- to tens of thousands of retail pharmacies, nursing homes, clinics and providers -- in all 50 states. For more than 125 years, HDMA and its members have been the vital link in the healthcare system that is responsible for medicine safety, quality, integrity and availability in the marketplace.  Through leadership on public policy and industry best practices, HDMA and its members focus on providing value, removing costs and developing innovative solutions to deliver care safely and effectively.