CIMZIA (certolizumab pegol) is a biologic medication manufactured by UCB Pharma, indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and Crohn’s disease. The project was a consulting engagement for Heartbeat Ideas, a New York-based digital agency specializing in pharmaceutical clients, focused on front-end development work on the CIMZIA patient and physician information website.
The scope of the engagement was targeted — front-end development changes and bug fixes — within a larger project managed by the Heartbeat Ideas team. Pharmaceutical brand sites operate under strict regulatory guidelines governing how drug information is presented, including required safety information, indication language, and the balance between branded promotional content and fair balance disclosures. Working within these constraints as a development consultant required implementing front-end changes accurately to specification without introducing deviations from the approved content or layout.
The site’s back end was built on ASP.Net, with the platform architecture and design completed by Heartbeat Ideas in collaboration with UCB and third parties. Development responsibilities were scoped to front-end corrections and enhancements, using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to address visual and functional issues within the existing site structure.
Bug fixes on a live pharmaceutical site require careful testing across browsers and screen sizes, as the regulated nature of the content means that presentation errors can create compliance concerns in addition to functional ones.
