BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET
PRNewswire | March 23, 2023
Hovione and Laxxon Medical announced a strategic collaboration to advance the use of 3D screen printing technologies for the pharmaceutical industry. This partnership combines Laxxon´s expertise in 3D screen printing, based on their SPID®-Technology, with Hovione's product & process development, engineering and manufacturing expertise in pharmaceutical applications. Under the terms of the agreement, Hovione will establish the Laxxon Medical 3D screen printing technology at Hovione's cGMP production sites first in Portugal and later in the USA.
The 3D technology displays numerous advantages including the potential to produce unique or customized dosage forms with characteristics that cannot be achieved with conventional dosage forms, the ability to create tablets of any shape and size, the option to easily adjust the number of active substances and individual components in the composition of the tablet and even to set the dosage individually for each patient for personalized medicines.
"Laxxon is thrilled to establish a long-term partnership with Hovione." said Klaus Kuehne, COO of Laxxon Medical. "This partnership will serve as a great accelerator in establishing 3D screen printing within the pharmaceutical industry thus accelerating our ability to serve our customers." "Hovione has a global reputation for their pharmaceutical innovation services, expertise and market access. This agreement marks a significant milestone for Laxxon in terms of our own market strategy and development efforts." said Helmut Kerschbaumer, Laxxon's CEO. "We are looking forward to collaborating with Hovione to promote innovation through 3D screen printing."
"We find the Laxxon Medical 3D printing technology to be very innovative and enabling. It not only allows for the customization and production of drug products with complex shapes and structures as well as unique API release characteristics but it also has the potential to reduce the time and cost of drug development" says Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione´s CEO. He adds "Hovione has a track record of turning emerging pharmaceutical production technologies into reliable and scalable offerings at both developmental and commercial scales. We are excited at the prospect of supporting Laxxon in industrializing its 3D printing technology and make it accessible to a greater number of pharmaceutical and medical device companies."
With this partnership the platform will be available from early development phases to routine commercial manufacturing.
About Hovione
Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing operations. As a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) Hovione has a fully integrated offering of services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. The company has four FDA inspected sites in the USA, Portugal, Ireland and China and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA. Hovione provides pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs, including highly potent compounds, and customized product solutions across the entire drug life cycle. In the inhalation area, Hovione offers a complete range of services, from API, formulation development and devices. Hovione´s culture is based on innovation, quality and delivery. Hovione was the first Chemical/ Pharmaceutical Company to become a Certified B Corp, is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards.
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PHARMACY MARKET
Businesswire | May 29, 2023
Elixir, a pharmacy benefit management company owned by Rite Aid has announced details of the next release of its Laker Software technology platform. The upcoming enhancements include new automated workflows, a customer service tool and modernization of the user interface.
"Already a leader in the industry, Laker Software is going from good to great,” said Jeff Mallad, VP, PBM Technology Sales for Elixir. "Elixir’s technology platform is one of the fastest and most reliable pharmacy claims systems available—and it’s about to become turbo-charged! We’re modernizing the future of pharmacy benefits to support our customers’ business growth, the digital world and cost reduction.”
The upgrade will include a range of advanced functionalities that are designed to help customers better manage their pharmacy claims adjudication data and streamline workflows. The new features will allow users to access and share data more efficiently, collaborate more effectively, and improve productivity.
For more than 20 years, the Laker Software platform has been a leading technology solution and one of only a few that can manage multiple lines of business including
Medicare, Medicaid and Exchange Commercial payers Adjudication and claims processing for 340B pharmacies Prescription savings card programs Workers’ compensation
Built on a resilient, scalable architecture, the Laker Software platform is a 100% virtualized environment. The platform processes millions of paid claims per year and is SOC 1 Type 2 certified. It has multiple levels of data security and redundant backup systems. Laker Software provides a full set of robust capabilities, including
Claims Processing/Adjudication Call Center Plan Set Up Eligibility Accumulator Accounts Payable/Receivable Prior Authorization Reporting
Customers will begin to beta test some of the platform’s newest features shortly, and other enhancements will follow as the next generation of Laker Software evolves. Customers can expect to see improvements in cost reduction due to automation, solutions for improved plan design and channel management, and advanced analytics and statistical analyses. This is in addition to a cloud-based infrastructure and redesigned user interface, allowing for even more flexibility and a better customer experience.
"Elixir is committed to investing in innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the pharmacy benefits industry,” said Mallad. “In addition to our Laker platform, customers can rely on our full suite of pharmacy benefit services to custom design their ideal solution. We support your business, enable your growth and help you succeed in every segment of the pharmacy lifecycle."
About Elixir
Elixir, a fully owned subsidiary of Rite Aid Corporation, is a pharmacy services provider that offers pharmacy benefit management services, Medicare-approved prescription drug plans, mail and specialty pharmacy solutions, and prescription discount programs. With the unique ability to optimize the full pharmacy care experience, Elixir is crafting solutions for today’s pharmacy benefits challenges.
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PHARMA TECH
Globenewswire | May 12, 2023
SERB Pharmaceuticals, a global specialty pharmaceutical company, and SFJ Pharmaceuticals, a global drug development company, announce that SERB has acquired exclusive US rights to the ticagrelor reversal agent bentracimab from SFJ.
Bentracimab is a novel, monoclonal antibody fragment designed to reverse the antiplatelet activity of ticagrelor. Ticagrelor, marketed by AstraZeneca as Brilinta®, is a reversible oral P2Y12 platelet inhibitor for patients who have suffered a heart attack or stroke, or who have acute coronary syndromes or coronary artery disease (CAD). Bentracimab, if approved by the FDA, could allow these patients to benefit from the antithrombotic effect of ticagrelor, preventing vascular events and reducing risk of death, while giving physicians a way to control bleeding in rare emergency situations such as surgery or a major bleeding event.
SFJ will remain responsible for the ongoing clinical trials of bentracimab and will work in collaboration with SERB to submit the Biologics License Application (BLA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which they expect to file later this year.
Jeremie Urbain, Executive Chairman of SERB Pharmaceuticals, said: “The acquisition of bentracimab marks a significant step in our strategy to grow through investment in innovative, biologic products for critical care conditions and leverages our existing commercial and technical capabilities. We're excited to partner with SFJ, recognized leaders in late-stage drug development, to bring this life-saving medicine to healthcare professionals and the patients they treat.”
Robert DeBenedetto, Chief Executive Officer of SFJ, said: “We are pleased to partner with Jeremie and the entire SERB team on this important step to help advance bentracimab to patients. Bentracimab has recognized potential benefits and we have confidence that SFJ in collaboration with SERB will be able to expeditiously and efficiently see bentracimab through the approvals process by the US FDA.”
Bentracimab binds ticagrelor and its major active metabolite with high affinity and specificity. A prespecified interim analysis of the ongoing Phase 3 trial REVERSE-IT published in the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence demonstrated that bentracimab immediately and sustainably reversed the antiplatelet effects of ticagrelor, and was generally well tolerated, with only minor adverse events reported. In 2019 bentracimab received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA, a process designed to expedite the development and review of drugs which may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapy.
The companies did not disclose specific financial terms. Leopoldo Zambeletti acted as advisor for SFJ, and Evercore acted as advisor for SERB.
About SERB Pharmaceuticals
SERB is a global specialty pharmaceutical company with a growing portfolio of medicines for emergency care and rare diseases. For over 30 years we have made treating these complex and life-threatening conditions possible, supporting clinicians, healthcare systems and governments while offering hope to patients and their families. SERB has the broadest antidote portfolio in the world, including medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks. As a fully integrated company, we have the experience and capabilities to acquire, develop, and manufacture our medicines to the highest standards, and make them available worldwide through our secure supply chain. SERB operates in the US as BTG Pharmaceuticals.Learn more at https://SERB.com.
About SFJ Pharmaceuticals®
SFJ is a global drug development company, which provides a unique and highly customized clinical development partnering model for the world's top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. SFJ provides at-risk funding and the global clinical development management and oversight necessary for regulatory submission for some of the most promising drug development programs of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies. SFJ's mission is to leverage its financial strength and global team of pharmaceutical development experts to accelerate the development of life-saving and life-enhancing drugs for the benefit of physicians and the patients they serve. www.sfj-pharma.com
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