This month’s announcements of awards, investments, executive appointments, and expansions include Javara, Thread, uMotif, Lonza, and other notable companies.
This month’s announcements of awards, investments, executive appointment, and expansions include Javara, Thread, uMotif, Lonza, and other notable companies.
Clinical trial technology specialist Cytel has received the Society for Clinical annual Trial of the Year Award. The TOGETHER Trial for COVID-19 therapies, designed by Cytel, used statistical expertise to reach accelerated testing of 11 interventions, as well as deployment of study infrastructure designed to help low-income communities find cost-effective therapies
Cytel’s principal research scientist Edward Mills (professor of Health Research Methods at McMaster University in Canada, said, "In a rush to find therapies that work, members of the global community failed to recognize that much of the world would not be able to afford a number of the therapies initially put forward for examination. Members of the TOGETHER Trial joined to ensure that low- and middle-income countries did not miss out on the global search for effective results. I see the recognition from SCT as a recognition of global scientific cooperation."
Integrated research organization Javara has landed a significant growth investment in a Series B funding round led by equity firm General Atlantic. Javara is one of the forefront voices in the clinical research as a care option movement.
“We founded Javara with a vision to transform clinical research delivery, creating a business and technology framework whereby clinical trials are on the menu of care options for all patients within the entire healthcare system,” said Javara CEO Jennifer Byrne. “Our focus in pioneering this innovative approach was – and remains – to create a model that drives value across the industry for all stakeholders, while ensuring all patients have the access to the care they deserve.”
Lonza has announced plans to expand its inhalation services via added capacity at its Tampa, Florida site. The expansion involves additional inhalation testing capacity at the facility, specialized in development, clinical, and commercial manufacturing of small-molecule-based therapies targeting respiratory diseases and disorders, such as cancer, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Jeff Williamson (associate director of product development for small molecules at Lonza Tampa) said, “Increasing our capabilities in providing solutions for inhaled products will benefit our existing and future customers. The growth of our Inhalation service network will ensure that our team continues to deliver solutions and support necessary for advancing dry powder inhaler products for pulmonary delivery that often face solubility and bioavailability challenges.”
Decentralized trial solutions provider Thread is joining forces with digital mental health specialist Bezyl to support the mental health of trial participants. From within a secure communications platform, Bezyl’s app is designed to make it easier for patients to ask for help from friends, family, and caregivers.
“We recognize that supporting participants in clinical trials requires a multi-faceted approach; supporting the mental health of study participants is important to our customers, sites, study teams, and Thread," said John Reites, CEO of Thread. "We are proud to offer Bezyl to our customers as a secure and unique solution to support mental health."
Hinge Health, a provider of digital musculoskeletal (MSK) technology, has named Mario Queiroz chief product officer. Queiroz will be responsible for driving product strategy and innovations; his past companies include Palo Alto Networks, Google, and HP.
“Mario is an exceptional product thinker and builder with a track record of developing some of the most popular consumer products in the world,” said Gabriel Mecklenburg, co-founder and chairman of Hinge Health. “I’m really excited to welcome him to our leadership team as we continue to build magical experiences for our members.”
Clinical trial technology company uMotif has announced receipt of an additional $25.5m in investment funding. The funds reportedly will be used to scale up the company’s clinical research platform.
Steve Rosenberg, CEO of uMotif, said, “I truly believe that clinical research must put patients first, delivering more engaging research studies. With this investment from Athyrium I'm excited to grow our global capabilities to better serve our sponsors, partners and – most importantly – the patients we help take part in research."
Real-world evidence and health economics and outcomes research specialist Genesis Research has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Market Access Transformation, a provider of technology-enabled payer research platforms. The acquisition reportedly will enhance Genesis Research’s offerings with the ability to generate insights and evidence.
Frank Corvino, Genesis Research CEO, said, “The life sciences sector has repeatedly seen the challenges associated with demonstrating the value of new products. The combination of Genesis Research and MAT creates a novel and unparalleled approach to generating payer insights and evidence; this will enable life sciences companies to both identify and answer the right questions faster than ever before, without sacrificing scientific rigor or transparency.”
Nurse practitioner (NP) and physician’s assistant (PA) network POCN has named Deb Nevins senior vice president of client strategy. Nevins brings a range of experience, with tenures at organizations like the US Air Force, the White House Communications Agency, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Nevins said, “I am thrilled to join POCN and bring about a new chapter of client and product success. In my time in the pharmaceutical industry, I have worked closely with POCN as a partner and look forward to bringing my passion, creativity and strategic eye to the team.”
Diagnostic and testing specialist Flexus has joined with GenXys Health Care Systems to advance precision medicine initiatives. GenXys offers a precision prescribing platform that reportedly will enable Flexsus to perform pharmacogenomic testing and report results to identify medication based on genomic profiles.
Karl Pringle, CEO of GenXys, said, “Through the integration with Flexsus, we’re also able to include existing medication history into the clinical decision support process and enable providers to use PGx data automatically at the point of care.”
Florence has announced it has raised $35m in a Series B funding round, led by Axa Venture Partners. The investment reportedly will be used to expand the company’s product offerings to support care in the UK as well as multiple international markets.
“We believe everyone should have the care and dignity they deserve,” said Charles Armitage, Florence co-founder. “We see this funding as an investment in solving the issues our broken system faces on a daily basis, which disproportionately impact the most vulnerable people in our society. With an expanded scope, we are positive we can help revolutionize care at a greater pace than ever before.”