Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Protecting Your Privacy
This website http://www.msclinicalstudies.com (the "Site") is hosted and operated by Biogen Idec, Inc. ("Biogen Idec"). The terms "we" and "us" mean Biogen Idec.
We are committed to respecting your privacy. Because facts about a person's health, health interests, and healthcare are private and sensitive, we know that you may have concerns about sharing information with us.
We urge all users of the Site to read this Privacy Policy to learn more about the policies and practices that we have developed to safeguard personal information, and to better understand our relationships with the third parties who may have access to this information. Your use of the Site is subject to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
Information We Collect. We have access to the following categories of information regarding you and your visit to the Site. Only some of these categories of information identify you directly, but each category offers some information about your interests and activities that could be used to make inferences about you.
Information That You Voluntarily Provide:
Interactive Services. Biogen Idec has constructed this Site so that you may visit us and review information about us and the services we offer without revealing your identity or volunteering any personally identifying information. If you choose to use Biogen Idec features and services, such as submitting a request for more information or using our clinical trials pre-screening tool, we will collect "personally identifying information" from you, such as your name, address, telephone number, and email address that could be used to contact you. When this information is combined with any information on your health or medical status that you provide to us, we refer to the resulting information as "health-related personal information." This information will be collected by us.
Emails. If you send an email by clicking on an email address on our Site, that information will be used and disclosed in accordance with this Privacy Policy or in the manner otherwise described in that email box or on the Site. We have databases in the U.S. and any information you provide to us, including by an email sent through our Site, may be transmitted to the U.S. Your sending information to us shall constitute your explicit consent to our processing that information, including transferring that information to the U.S. Any information you send to Biogen Idec in subsequent emails or by email sent other than by clicking on an email address through this Site may not be subject to this Privacy Policy. You should not send any information in an email that you want kept private until you are informed how that information will be used and disclosed by the recipient.
IP Address. We record the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer when you visit the Site. The IP address does not identify you personally, but it allows us to maintain communications with you as you move about the Site.
Cookies. We also collect information about your use of the Site through cookies and similar technology. A "cookie" is a unique numeric code that we transfer to your computer so that we can keep track of your interests and preferences and recognize you as a return visitor to the Site. Cookie technology allows us to collect "clickstream" data, which is not personally identifying information, but which reflects your activities on the Site, including your interest in certain healthcare conditions. A cookie does not collect or keep your name or other personal identifying information, but when you revisit the Site the cookie allows us to bring you the content and features likely to be of greatest interest to you based on your previous activities on the Site.
How We Use Your Information. We use the information about your use of the services and activities on the Site to monitor user traffic patterns and try to analyze what our users prefer so that we can design better services and activities for you. The personally identifying information and health-related personal information that you provide may be used to create customized offers, information, and services tailored to your interests and preferences.
Personally Identifying Information. You do not have to submit your personal information to access most of the information available to you on the Site. However, in order to have access to certain services and content available on our Site (e.g., services related to clinical trials), you are required to submit personal information, including health-related personal information. If you choose to provide such information to us, we may use the personally identifying information you give us to send you an email confirming our receipt of your request or to respond to questions from you. We may also, from time to time, send you emails with special promotions or newsletters with information that we think may be of interest to you.
IP Address. In addition to using the IP address of your computer to maintain communications with you as you move about the Site, we also may use your IP address to personalize content provided on the Site. We retain IP addresses, and we retain them together with personally identifying information.
Cookies. We use the data we obtain through the use of cookies to customize your Site experience by anticipating the information and services that may be of interest to you. We also analyze the information collected with cookie technology to help us improve the functioning of the Site by monitoring traffic in popular areas and to modify the services and information we provide to meet customer demand. We may link the clickstream data available to us through the use of cookies to the personally identifying information and health-related personal information that you may choose to provide elsewhere on the Site. We use the information we collect through the use of cookies for our business purposes, including operation of the Site, as well as research and product analyses to help us better develop and market our products. We do not allow other sites or third parties to use our cookies for their own purposes or to place their own cookies on your computer when you access services through the Site.
Vendors and Suppliers. We may from time to time have relationships with different vendors and suppliers who help us design and maintain our systems and our computer security, respond to email and customer inquiries, and create special promotions. We will not authorize our vendors and suppliers to use our customer information for any purpose not related to our business.
How We Disclose Your Information.
Disclosures related to Clinical Trials. When you use the clinical trial interactive site, we will ask you for information based on the activity that you are performing. Providing certain information may be mandatory in order for you to perform specific functions such as using the clinical trial pre-screening tool. If you are seeking information regarding enrollment in a clinical trial, all requested personal, medical, and other information provided by you must be accurate and complete. Enrollment in a clinical trial is decided based upon strict criteria that are set out by the entity that is developing the drug that is being tested (the "Sponsor"). Information you provide through the pre-screening tool may be used to contact you regarding your eligibility for a particular trial and to inform you about specific trials for which you may be eligible. If the information you submit through the pre-screening tool meets the prequalification criteria for a clinical trial, your information also may be forwarded to an investigator for further evaluation. Your name and contact information may be given to the doctor administering the trial, who may be requested to contact you regarding your participation in the trial.
Our Relationship to Other Third Parties. We may use third parties to provide services and information on the Site (see the paragraph about vendors and suppliers above) or we may provide some co-branded services in partnership with others. We also may use third parties to analyze data collected on the Site. If we allow a third party contractor to have access to your personally identifying information or health-related personal information, they will only be permitted to take it or use it for purposes that are consistent with this privacy policy.
Law Enforcement or Threats. In certain limited circumstances, we may be called upon to release your personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information in response to a court order, subpoena, search warrant, law, or regulation. We plan to cooperate in responding to such requests, taking appropriate measures to ensure that the requester understands the sensitive nature of the personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information that they may receive. We also reserve the right to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in investigating and prosecuting users who violate our rules or engage in behavior that is illegal or harmful to other users of the Site. We may also disclose your personal information in the event we believe it is appropriate to prevent harm or danger to you or to others.
Other Disclosures. We pledge that other than as disclosed in this Privacy Policy or as a result of your use of the Site, we will not sell or disclose any personally identifying information, including health-related personal information, you provide on the Site to an unrelated third party without your express permission, except that we may partner with other companies to provide you with content or services on a joint or "co-branded" basis. At a co-branded site you will see both the Biogen Idec logo and the logo of the co-branded partner displayed on your screen. To access the services available on a co-branded site you may have to complete an on-line registration form, and this registration information may be shared with our co-branded partners. You should read the individual privacy policies of the co-branded sites, as these may differ in some respects from ours. Reading these policies will help you to make an informed decision about whether to provide your information to a given site. Remember, you may always opt-out of sharing your information with a partner site by choosing not to use the service or content provided by the co-branded site.
Other Important Information About Our Relationship With Third Parties.
Links to Other Sites. The Site also features links to websites that we believe you might find useful and informative. Please be aware, however, that, other than the websites controlled by Biogen Idec, we do not endorse or recommend these sites' content or services, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices of these other sites. We encourage you to be aware of and read the privacy policy of each site you visit. Remember, the statements in this privacy policy apply solely to information collected by Biogen Idec through this Site.
Advertisers. We do not permit advertisers to display their advertisements at the Site, and we will not permit third party advertising servers to use cookies to collect information from users at the Site.
Sale or Transfer of Corporate Assets. We expressly reserve the right to transfer our database of information in part or as a whole to another legal entity as part of a sale or merger of all or a part of Biogen Idec with a separate legal entity. Any entity acquiring any data assets of Biogen Idec will do so with the express, written commitment to use the data only for the purposes for which it was provided to Biogen Idec consistent with this Privacy Policy.
Our Children's Policy. The Site content and services are intended for adult users over the age of 13. The Site is not designed to attract child users. If we learn that an under-13 user has volunteered personally identifying and/or health-related personal information on the Site, or that a provider has volunteered information about a patient who is identified as younger than 13, we will delete such information from our active databases in accordance with our deletion policy, which is described in the section on Privacy Choices.
Your Privacy Choices. When you access any interactive tool or service on the Site, you will be asked to affirmatively choose ("opt-in") to provide the requested information. You may always choose not to provide the requested information.
Accept Cookies. Your browser software can be set to reject all cookies, but if you reject our cookies certain of the functions and conveniences of the Site may not work properly. Cookies and similar technologies are how we ensure that we can promptly retrieve and deliver the information to you when you use the Site.
Correct/Update Personal Information. We encourage you to correct or update the personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information you previously provided to the Site at any time, using the following options:
You can contact us at public.affairs@biogenidec.com.
You can write to the following address:
Public Affairs
Biogen Idec Inc.
14 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142Remove Personal Information
You may remove previously provided personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information at any time using the following options:*
You can contact us at public.affairs@biogenidec.com.
You can also write to the following address:
Public Affairs
Biogen Idec Inc.
14 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142*Deletion Policy. The information that you provide to us is stored in servers that are operated and maintained by Biogen Idec. Site users should be aware that it is not technologically possible to remove from these servers each and every record of the information you have provided to Biogen Idec. The need to back-up our systems to protect information from inadvertent loss means that a copy of information about you or your health-related interests may exist in a non-erasable form that will be difficult or impossible for us to locate. Nevertheless, we promise that upon receiving your request, to the extent allowed by law, Biogen Idec will delete all personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information stored in the databases Biogen Idec actively uses for research and daily business activities, or stored in other readily searchable media. In addition, we will use commercially reasonable efforts not to disclose any personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information stored in a non-erasable format after receiving your request for removal, except as required by law.
Please be aware that we may not comply with a consumer's request to amend or remove information that was provided to Biogen Idec by a healthcare professional or a consumer regarding an adverse drug event.
Our Security Measures. We want your personally identifying information and health-related personal information to remain as secure as reasonably possible.
Data Security. We use encryption practices to help insure the integrity and privacy of some of the personally identifying information and health-related personal information you provide to us. As an added security precaution, all personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information is kept physically behind firewalls that meet or exceed industry standards to prevent intruders from gaining access. Although we will make reasonable efforts to protect personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information from loss, misuse, or alteration by third parties, you should be aware that there is always some risk that an unauthorized third party could intercept an Internet transmission, or that thieves will find a way to thwart our security systems.
Changes in Our Privacy Policy
We will only use personally identifying information in the manner described in the Privacy Policy in effect when the information was collected from you. However, we reserve the right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy at any time by posting revisions to the Site. If at any point, we decide to use personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify users by email to the extent that we have email addresses. You will be given the choice at that time to "opt-in" for any additional uses or disclosures of your personally identifying information and/or health-related personal information that you made available to us prior to the change in the Privacy Policy.
Information That Is Routinely Collected By Our Site Technology:
