BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
Epredia | January 19, 2023
On January 18, 2023, PHC Group, a healthcare company renowned in diagnostics and life sciences, announced that it would join the RegeneratOR Innovation Accelerator to grow its presence in regenerative medicine. The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) and the RegenMed Development Organization (ReMDO) are the two institutions expediting the discovery and translation of regenerative medicine therapeutics located in the Innovation Quarter.
PHC Group, being an early partner of ReMDO's RegeneratOR Test Bed, offered advanced tissue processing technologies as well as support to researchers for prototype and product development. In addition, another ReMDO program, the Innovation Accelerator, was formed to give space and support to companies with innovative or emerging regenerative medicine technologies.
PHC Group is now opening a local office within the Innovation Accelerator. Its holding companies and partners include Epredia, a precision cancer diagnostics company whose products are used by researchers and pathologists worldwide, and Aiforia, a medical software company that develops artificial intelligence software for image analysis in pathology. Aiforia's collection of preclinical and clinical pathology instruments is distributed globally by Epredia.
The firms work together to deliver slide imaging and AI-based solutions that enable researchers to investigate and extract information beyond the scope of human visual perception. Thus, clinical research, drug discovery, and translational studies with the goal of better understanding disease states are all linked together through diagnostic microscopic imaging and artificial intelligence.
PHC Group's presence, along with Epredia and Aiforia's superior technology assistance at the Innovation Accelerator, will also pave the path for RegeneratOR's newest initiative, the RegenMed Clinical Trials Catalyst.
As a part of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the academic core of the newly merged Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health, the Catalyst will have access to 5.5 million patients, serving 67 hospitals in North Carolina, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Illinois.
About Epredia
Epredia is a leading comprehensive laboratory solutions provider for instruments and consumables in anatomic pathology, histology, and cytology. It was established through an acquisition by PHC Group from Thermo Fisher Scientific. The company provides solutions for cancer diagnostics through its renowned brands: Richard Allen Scientific, Erie Scientific, Microm, Shandon, and Menzel-Glaser. Epredia is committed to realizing its aim of advancing cancer diagnostics for patients worldwide in order to save lives.
Read More
BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
Avita Care Solutions | January 10, 2023
PMQ Investors, LLC, the parent company of Avita, has acquired Q Care Plus, Inc. This community-focused care management solution offers stigma-free access to care via telehealth, focusing on telePrEP services.
Meanwhile, the terms and conditions of the deal are yet to be revealed.
"Bringing Avita and Q Care Plus together comes at a time when reducing health inequities among underserved populations is more critical than ever," said Avita Chief Executive Officer Michael Yount. He further added, "A multiyear pandemic, partisanship-based politics that limit health care rights, and long-standing stigma, fear, and discrimination against marginalized populations like the LGBTQ+ community have exacerbated existing obstacles to health care and created a host of new ones."
(Source: PR Newswire)
Avita can now broaden its commitment to a community care management strategy that eliminates obstacles for patients and covered entities throughout the care continuum due to its acquisition of Q Care Plus. The company promotes patients' and covered entity partners' capacity to acquire culturally competent LGBTQ+, HIV, PrEP, and sexual wellness care by providing comprehensive access to pharmacy services, 340B program administration, clinical care delivery, and digital health choices.
Avita is transitioning to Avita Care Solutions in light of its recent growth. This brand will encompass Avita Pharmaceutical, the company's pharmacy services section, and AvitaCare Atlanta, its new Atlanta medical and primary care center and pharmacy previously owned by AbsoluteCare. There are no plans to rebrand Q Care Plus' digital health platforms. In 2023, Avita will start selling Q Care Plus under the Avita family of brands.
About Avita Care Solutions
Avita Care Solutions is committed to improving health equity by giving underserved communities comprehensive, caring, and all-inclusive health care and pharmacy services. Its strategy for managing care in the community makes it possible for patients and covered entities to eliminate barriers across the care continuum. Over 145,000 patients and 320+ covered organizations at 65+ locations benefit from Avita's community care management strategy, which includes pharmacy services, program administration, digital health, and clinical care delivery.
Read More
BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET
EVERSANA | February 24, 2023
On February 23, 2023, Xspray Pharma AB announced that it has signed an agreement with EVERSANA to aid the launch and commercialization of its innovative cancer therapy Dasynoc for treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) in the United States. Xspray Pharma will maintain financial and strategic control while granting EVERSANA exclusive commercialization access to support the second-half 2023 launch of Dasynoc. Dasynoc, if FDA approved, will be a new treatment option for CML and ALL patients that will enter the $3.5 billion commercial market for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in the United States.
Under the agreement, EVERSANA will provide Xspray with a dedicated commercialization team with expertise in the successful commercialization of cancer drugs, including TKI products, and offer support in areas such as agency services, market access, clinical and commercial field teams, patient services, medical science liaisons, and compliance. In addition, this agreement gives Xspray access to EVERSANA's experienced commercial leaders and enables a quick launch while optimizing the launch budget.
Dasynoc is expected to bring significant benefits to CML patients as it is bioequivalent to Sprycel® at a 30% lower dose with significantly better variability, enabling better precision and predictability of dosing. Dasynoc is granted ODD by FDA for the treatment of CML and ALL.
The product offers an important improvement for CML patients, as retrospective registry data presented at ASH 2022 show that patients on concomitant tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment (e.g., omeprazole) of 79% have low 5-year overall survival rates compared to 94% for patients on TKI only. Dasynoc uptake is unaffected by PPIs, hence offering an essential benefit to CML patients.
Xspray plans to launch the product in the second half of 2023, subject to FDA approval and ongoing litigation processes pertaining to patents for crystalline dasatinib forms that Xspray believes are not present in its product.
About EVERSANA
EVERSANA is a prominent global services provider to the life sciences industry, offering integrated solutions that focus on the patient experience and cover all stages of the product life cycle. The company aims to create long-term, sustainable value for patients, prescribers, channel partners, and payers. It works with over 670 organizations, including established pharmaceutical companies and start-ups, to advance life sciences solutions and contribute to creating a healthier world.
Read More