NEW YORK, March 31 /PRNewswire/ --

- Leading Electronic Clinical Data Management Company Taps Former Oracle(R) Executive to Lead the Ongoing Development of Advanced Technology Solution -

Medidata Solutions, a market leader in the development of electronic clinical data management solutions, today announced the appointment of Keith Howells as Vice President of Engineering. Mr. Howells will oversee the development of Medidata RAVE, the Company's leading electronic data capture (EDC) and electronic clinical data management (eCDM) platform.

"With more than 15 years experience applying information technology specifically to processes in clinical development, Keith will be an invaluable addition to our team," said Glen de Vries, Chief Technology Officer, Medidata Solutions. "Medidata RAVE's unified clinical services platform is helping our pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and CRO clients achieve faster results in their clinical study initiatives and create real world efficiencies across all phases of their clinical programs. Keith's presence on our team will further enhance our ability to deliver cutting edge technology, grounded on the foundations of our industry's best practices and expertise."

In a career that spans three decades, Mr. Howells has established himself as one of the foremost thought leaders in developing clinical research applications. Most recently, as vice president of Oracle's Pharmaceutical Applications group, he helped to establish Oracle Clinical's market position in data management, and led the development of a sophisticated clinical research suite. Mr. Howells has held a variety of senior positions in development, consulting, sales and technical support.

"Medidata solves clinical data problems that life sciences companies care about. The long-standing need for these companies has been to achieve integrated and near real-time clinical data capture and management. Medidata has achieved a market leading position with Medidata RAVE by solving key fundamental problems using cost-effective, modern technology," said Keith Howells. "This is an exciting time for Medidata and I'm pleased to join the executive team at a time of rapid company growth."

About Medidata Solutions

Medidata Solutions understands and helps clients manage the business of electronic clinical data management better than any one else. Designed to reduce the latency of information flow, optimize decision-making and improve resource allocation and safety, Medidata Solutions' flexible, enterprise-class workflow and web-based technology assists global life sciences and research organizations to accelerate the process of bringing life-enhancing treatments to market. Streamlined collection, verification, consolidation and analysis of clinical research data gives front line investigators, data managers and executives powerful tools to make more precise decisions earlier, reduce costs and drive efficiency. For more information about Medidata Solutions, visit http://www.mdsol.com.

Web site: http://www.mdsol.com

Ed Viviani, Medidata Solutions, +1-212-918-1800, eviviani@mdsol.com