A new digital/pharma partnership. Amid a breakdown of its new strategic direction, Paris-based Voluntis announced a new partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb that aims to support cancer patients with a new digital-therapeutic platform. Patients would use this app-based tool to track their symptoms and treatment, while also being provided with relevant self-management recommendations via an evidence-based algorithm. Alongside managing their own care, the companies hope that cancer patients using the platform will be empowered to better discuss their condition with providers.
"Bristol-Myers Squibb is a leading innovator in oncology. We are delighted to join forces with their talented teams to work on digital therapeutics that could have a significant impact on the treatment experience for patients worldwide,” Voluntis CEO Pierre Leurent said in a statement. “This collaboration is a recognition of our unique know-how and technology, as well as an important opportunity to bring it to scale in oncology."
Going generic. Direct-to-consumer virtual health company Ro plans on setting up a new medication-delivery service, according to CNBC.
The service will be focused on getting consumers generic medication. According to the report, the plan will be $5 per medication, with shipping included. A spokesperson from Ro, declined to comment further, stating the company is still in the process of testing and rolling out the service.
One small drop for man. Portable diagnostic platform-maker 1Drop is taking its portable diagnostic platforms to space thanks to a new collaboration with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) International Space Station US National Laboratory (ISS National Lab). The effort will bring 1Drop’s devices on a resupply rocket scheduled for tonight, in what the company says will be the first experiment of capillary-driven microfluidics conducted in space.
"The ISS and space are the ultimate remote setting to demonstrate medical diagnostics,” Dr. Luc Gervais, founder and CEO of 1Drop, said in a statement. “If 1Drop is suited to assess the health of astronauts in space, it's suited to assess people’s health everywhere on earth. We are also currently developing 1Drop for long-duration space missions to Mars.”
Streamlining patient intake. AT&T Healthcare has tapped new partners to support the delivery of a patient check-in product for healthcare organizations. LifeMedID, a digital identify assurance and authentication software maker, and Elo, a company specializing in touchscreen devices and other interactive products, will help AT&T’s platform better verify patient identities and insurance information, as well as make payments and and schedule appointments.
“Ensuring fast and accurate patient identification across the full spectrum of medical care visits enables consumer confidence in the completeness of their digital health record,” Rick Resnick, CEO of LifeMedID, said in a statement. “We’re excited to have AT&T bring this ease of experience to an even broader range of providers interested in shortening patient wait times and improving the bottom line with seamless integration into existing or desired workflows.”
