UPS gets clearance to expand medical drone delivery service across US

pharmaphorum | October 11, 2019

A subsidiary of UPS has gained regulatory clearance allowing it to expand a medical drone delivery service to support hospitals across the US. UPS Flight Forward said earlier this month it has received the US government certification to operate a drone airline. Immediately after the US Federal Aviation Administration awarded the company a ‘Part 135 Standard’ certification the UPS subsidiary immediately launched the first drone delivery flight. The flight used a Matternet M2 quadcopter to visit the WakeMed hospital campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. This was flown under a government exemption allowing for a “beyond visual line of sight” operations, another US first for a commercial operation. UPS hopes to improve delivery of medical supplies using its drones, where the shortest time in transit can improve efficiency and quality of healthcare services. UPS partnered with drone firm Matternet earlier this year to launch the healthcare delivery service on the WakeMed campus, which can carry supplies for up to 12.5 miles. According to UPS the first commercial flight has made the business case for a medical delivery service using drones and now has plans to expand the service to a variety of critical care or lifesaving applications.

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PHARMACY MARKET

Tris Pharma Secures First ex-US Authorizations for Quillivant ER Oral Suspension and Quillivant ER Chewable Tablet for the Treatment

businesswire | September 26, 2023

Tris Pharma, Inc. (Tris), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on ADHD, pain, addiction and neurological disorders, today announced that Health Canada has authorized the use of Quillivant® ER (extended release) for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children ages 6 to 12. Quillivant ER will be available as both an oral suspension and chewable tablet (known in the United States as Quillivant XR® and QuilliChew ER®, respectively). Quillivant ER is the first once-daily, long-acting, chewable and oral suspension formulations of methylphenidate to be approved for the treatment of ADHD in Canada. “Children with ADHD around the world need medications that provide fast-acting and long-lasting relief in a range of formulations that are easy for them to take. Since the launch of our Quillivant XR product in the United States, we have been approached by potential partners to make our portfolio of ADHD products available around the world,” said Ketan Mehta, founder and chief executive officer at Tris Pharma. “We are truly delighted by this milestone, which will make this important medication available to millions of patients in Canada.” Ontario-based KYE Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will make Quillivant ER Oral Suspension and Quillivant ER Chewable Tablets available to patients in Canada beginning in Q1 2024. Tris will manufacture Quillivant ER in the United States and export to KYE Pharmaceuticals for Canadian patients. ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosed among children. Many therapies approved to treat ADHD have well-established and significant drawbacks, including early symptom rebound, limited duration of release and efficacy, delayed onset, inability to customize or control titration, and patient difficulty taking the medications (e.g., children unable to swallow a tablet). In Canada, Quillivant ER is authorized for administration to children aged 6 to 12 diagnosed with ADHD as a once-daily liquid suspension or as a chewable tablet to overcome the difficulty of swallowing pills while still achieving the duration needed to control ADHD symptoms for the desired timeframe. Quillivant ER has demonstrated onset of action as soon as 45 minutes through 12 hours post-dose, providing consistent, continuous delivery throughout the day. Quillivant ER Oral Suspension allows for personalized dosing with ease of titration and the Quillivant ER chewable tablets are scored tablets, which are ideal for pediatric patients, providing additional flexibility in dose administration with the most dosing options available in an extended-release methylphenidate tablet. Tris developed both formulations using the company’s proprietary LiquiXR® technology. “Quillivant ER has the potential to address a significant unmet market need in the treatment of ADHD by overcoming drawbacks associated with many other ADHD medications, particularly among children,” said John McKendry, president at KYE Pharmaceuticals. “Our strategic partnership with Tris allows us to apply our extensive regulatory and commercial expertise to ensure this unique ADHD medication is made available to patients in Canada.” About Tris Pharma Tris Pharma is a privately held, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company that is applying its drug development capabilities and proprietary technologies to transform the treatment of ADHD, pain and neurological disorders, including addiction and diseases of the central nervous system. Tris is an established commercial organization with a robust portfolio of best-in-class ADHD products and a promising pipeline of differentiated, near-term drug candidates. More information is available at www.trispharma.com and on LinkedIn @TrisPharma. About KYE Pharmaceuticals Kye Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a private company headquartered in Mississauga, Canada focused on bringing medications to the Canadian market which fulfill clinically significant and unmet needs. KYE has licensed many innovative products and was founded on an entrepreneurial spirit that optimizes our team’s strengths and brings unique value to our partners, Canadian healthcare professionals, and most importantly, patients across Canada.

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Research

Adare Pharma Solutions announces divestiture of postbiotics pioneer Adare Biome to dsm-firmenich

prnewswire | July 04, 2023

Adare Pharma Solutions, a global technology-driven CDMO focused on oral dosage forms, today announced the completion of its divestiture of its Adare Biome business unit, a pioneer in the development and manufacturing of postbiotics, to dsm-firmenich, innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty. The transaction represents an enterprise value of €275 million, an estimated 2023 EV/EBITDA multiple of 18x. Tom Sellig, CEO of Adare Pharma Solutions, commented: "dsm-firmenich is the ideal company to take Adare Biome to the next level and realize the growth potential of postbiotics. They have the infrastructure, together with strong commercialization and science capabilities, to scale the significant scientific research that we've achieved over the years. This divestiture will provide Adare Pharma Solutions with additional resources for our core CDMO business and allow us to further grow our position as a world-class outsourcing partner to the pharmaceutical industry." dsm-firmenich intends to extend the availability of Lactéol®, Adare Biome's over-the-counter postbiotic supplement for relieving gut upsets, through its B2C unit, i-Health. Further development of postbiotic B2B ingredients will include opportunities in dietary supplements, early-life nutrition, medical nutrition, and nutritional improvement for the under-nourished. The acquisition of Adare Biome will also position dsm-firmenich as a leader in the growing microbiome management market for pets, and expand its animal health range, where the stability of postbiotics means they can be incorporated into premix feed solutions. Philip Eykerman, dsm-firmenich's President Health, Nutrition & Care, said: "Adare Biome, as a global leader in the research and manufacturing of postbiotics with over a century of pioneering science in its heritage, is a perfect fit for dsm-firmenich that will complement three of our four Business Units. The Adare Biome teams bring great knowledge in this area which will greatly help in driving our 'Health from the Gut' strategy and enable us to accelerate the creation of next-generation biotics to support the health of people and animals. We are excited to welcome the Adare Biome people to the dsm-firmenich family and about the new opportunities this move will unlock. dsm-firmenich's strong global presence and reach in local markets will enable us to deliver Adare Biome products to customers in a faster, more efficient way to bring the proven benefits of postbiotics to a wider range of people around the world." About Adare Pharma Solutions Adare Pharma Solutions is a global, technology-driven CDMO providing product development through commercial manufacturing expertise, with a focus on oral dosage forms for the pharmaceutical industry. Adare's specialized technology platforms provide taste masking, controlled release, solubility enhancement, and patient-centric dosing solutions. With a proven history in drug delivery, Adare has developed and manufactured more than 65 products sold by customers in more than 100 countries globally. More information can be found at www.adarepharmasolutions.com. About dsm-firmenich As innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, dsm-firmenich reinvents, manufactures, and combines vital nutrients, flavors, and fragrances for the world's growing population to thrive. With our comprehensive range of solutions, with natural and renewable ingredients and renowned science and technology capabilities, we work to create what is essential for life, desirable for consumers, and more sustainable for the planet. dsm-firmenich is a Swiss-Dutch company, listed on the Euronext Amsterdam, with operations in almost 60 countries and revenues of more than €12 billion. With a diverse, worldwide team of nearly 30,000 employees, we bring progress to life™ every day, everywhere, for billions of people.

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PHARMA TECH

GoodRx and MedImpact Announce Program to Ensure Seamless Access to Affordable Prescriptions

businesswire | September 14, 2023

GoodRx a leading resource for healthcare savings and information, and MedImpact, the independent pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) and health solutions company, announced a new savings solution designed to integrate GoodRx’s prescription pricing in a seamless experience at the pharmacy counter. Now, when an eligible MedImpact member fills a prescription for a generic medication, it will automatically compare their benefit and the GoodRx price and then deliver the lowest one. The amount paid will be applied to the member’s deductible. “This solution allows us to meet Americans where they are by providing them with low prices on their prescriptions without the need for them to compare costs on their own,” said Cynthia Meiners, Strategic Program Development Officer at GoodRx. “We are bringing together the best of what GoodRx does with the best of what MedImpact does to make it incredibly convenient for MedImpact’s members to start and stay on their prescribed treatments, and to fully integrate their clinical data. We truly feel the future of healthcare lies in these types of integrations.” The collaboration achieved by integrating GoodRx’s price comparison technology with MedImpact’s advanced technology platform allows both companies to deliver more savings without any additional work on the part of the consumer. In addition, members will benefit from the seamless data integration this program provides. Through MedImpact’s rigorous drug safety review, which includes thousands of health and safety checks, patients will be alerted about any negative drug interactions. “We are delivering to clients a full portfolio of health, wellness and savings solutions and we see this program as an important part of it,” Marcus Sredzinski, Pharm D, General Manager and MedImpact Senior Vice President. “This delivers hassle-free savings to members, while helping payers capture clinical and adherence data they may have otherwise missed.” GoodRx is actively working to access new lives by expanding its prescription savings reach by partnering with pharmacy benefit managers and their plan sponsors to collaboratively integrate into the insurance benefit market. Through these programs with CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and MedImpact, GoodRx savings are seamlessly integrated at point-of-sale with three major PBMs that reach over 60% of insured lives. This new program will become available to eligible MedImpact members starting January 1, 2024. About GoodRx GoodRx is a leading resource for healthcare savings and information that makes healthcare affordable and convenient for all Americans. We offer consumers free access to transparent and lower prices for brand and generic medications, affordable and convenient medical provider consultations via telehealth, and comprehensive healthcare research and information. Since 2011, we have helped consumers save over $60 billion and are one of the most downloaded medical apps over the past decade. GoodRx periodically posts information that may be important to investors on its investor relations website at https://investors.goodrx.com. We intend to use our website as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors and potential investors are encouraged to consult GoodRx’s website regularly for important information, in addition to following GoodRx’s press releases, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and public conference calls and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, GoodRx’s website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release. About MedImpact For more than 30 years, MedImpact has been building, delivering, and reimagining pharmacy benefit solutions for healthcare payers who face complex and dynamic challenges. As the leading independent PBM, we offer clients the clarity they need to make care and cost decisions; control over a powerful suite of solutions that manage pharmacy spend; and confidence that comes from a proven PBM partner who is fully aligned with their goals and invested in their future.

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