Avecia Selects Waters Empower™ Software As Strategic CDS Platform For Validation And Regulatory Compliance

Waters Corporation today announced that its flagship chromatography data solution, Empower Software, has been deployed in gas chromatography labs by Avecia, a leading global fine and specialty chemicals company based in Manchester, United Kingdom. Sold with Waters® Ultra Performance LC™ and HPLC instrumentation, Empower Software allows scientists to collect data, control multiple instruments – from Waters as well as third-party vendors – and report on their findings using an intuitive interface for increased productivity.

According to Robert Leask, Procurement Manager at Avecia, "Empower was compared against an intense list of user requirements for CDS. Its comprehensive capabilities were major factors in the decision, especially the software's computer validation and 21 CFR 11 features." Leask also said that the company's decision was influenced by Waters' reputation as an industry leader with a successful CDS track record. "Post-sales service, training, and support were other major considerations in the purchasing decision," he added.

"Companies like Avecia are looking for tools to manage more of their chromatography data, no matter where it is generated or in what format," said Pat Martell, Director of Informatics at Waters Corporation. "With state-of-the art informatics solutions like Empower Software, Waters can help companies deliver measurable gains in time-to-market by bringing new levels of efficiency to the scientific laboratory."

Empower Software Design Features/Benefits

Waters Empower Software acquires, processes and archives data generated by liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and photodiode array instrumentation. Its capabilities for the collection and reporting of chromatography data are based on critically-designed user considerations that help scientists be more efficient and productive in their work. For example, Empower Software's multi-tier architecture allows a user with any level of laboratory experience to run samples from up to four easy-to-use interfaces.

Along with these features, Empower Software was engineered to maintain security, data integrity and compliance as scientists document and share their reports. Empower Software's capabilities additionally extend beyond the boundaries of traditional chromatography software to include support for the management of mass spectrometry data.

Having one data software program that meets all data management needs – from calculations to complex reports -- reduces the need for multiple vendors. And the ability to scale Empower Software to control any number of instruments in a lab – or enterprise – provides the scientist with ultimate flexibility without compromising lab performance and data integrity.

A total of 48 of the Top 50 pharmaceutical companies listed in Pharmaceutical Executive magazine's May 2004 issue currently use Empower Software for data management. The company has installed thousands of server networks since the release of its Millennium® software, in 1992, the first chromatography data software to feature an embedded Oracle® relational database that simplifies the organization and retrieval of scientific data. This feature has given regulated labs competitive advantages in terms of complying with the requirements of 21 CFR Part 11.