Incyte, a Delaware-based biopharmaceutical company, has joined SAFE-BioPharma Association, a nonprofit industry coalition responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of the SAFE-BioPharma digital identity and signature standard.
The SAFE-BioPharma standard is a life science industry line of defense against cyber crime. It creates an unseen infrastructure of trust through the standardization of the digital identity credentials used within the global biopharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Member organizations use the standard to communicate in a secure and regulatory compliant way. They also are able to manage access to valuable information stored behind portals, firewalls and other security structures.
Individuals using identity credentials compliant with the standard are able to apply trusted digital signatures to electronic documents. Digital signatures are based on identity credentials that are closely bound to the users' proven identity following rules established by the standard. Once applied, they protect the document from future alteration.
Effective in June, the EMA will require digital signatures on all electronic submissions. For several years, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has required use of digital signatures on all electronic prescriptions for controlled substances.
