Empowered Patient Podcast

Michael Demurjian is Chairman and CEO of Aspargo Labs, a drug development company focused on improving drug delivery through suspension-based formulation and smart device technology. Traditional pill-based drug delivery has significant limitations, with poor absorption rates and difficulties swallowing for many patients. The company's initial focus is on an oral spray formulation of sildenafil to treat erectile dysfunction that has shown rapid absorption. Suspension technology can be applied to reformulate many prescription and over-the-counter drugs to improve drug delivery, adherence, the onset of action, and user experience.

Michael explains, "Here at Aspargo we have a proprietary technology, both in the suspension and in how we coat it, so that we can mask the taste of the drug itself. And so I know you're going to probably go down the path of our first drug to market, and I'll answer the next question, but masking is key because there are two things that happen with the masking. One is you make it more of a pleasant experience. People are more willing to adhere and comply than administering the drugs. If you don't, people are going to say, my goodness, that tasted horrible, and I'm not going to do that again. Or they're going to be resistant in particular children, they won't do it."

"Well, 30 years in the drug development business, and I will tell you, you bring an ED product to market where you're showing a five-minute absorption time, it captures a lot of people's attention. So we've been very well received. Our first drug to market is an oral spray, sildenafil, which is the active ingredient in Viagra. And what we've shown is a five-minute absorption time. So, it has a lovely peppermint flavor. Now, here's the key there. Sildenafil is extremely bitter. It's one of the top 20 most bitter drugs that is manufactured. Our taste is peppermint. Through the proprietary technology that we have, we've successfully bonded the flavor agents right to the molecule without damaging it. I'll tell you, it's an interesting experience. Typically, it's the medical community. But when you're looking at a drug like Sildenafil, it's a consumer experience as well."

"You have to remind yourself the efficiency of absorption is critical. We look at patients, particularly in oncology, where we know that if they miss a dose of a medicine, cancers rapidly reproduce. So, missing one dose can set a patient back. What we look at and focus on is two things. One is our device to remind patients to dose their medicine. And if they forget that their physician, the physician assistant, or the office manager can intervene and text or call them saying your device just said you didn't dose. That's key."

#AspargoLabs #DrugDelivery #ED #ErectileDysfunction #Sildenafil #DrugAdherence #MedTech

aspargolabs.com

Listen to the podcast here

Michael Demurjian is Chairman and CEO of Aspargo Labs, a drug development company focused on improving drug delivery through suspension-based formulation and smart device technology. Traditional pill-based drug delivery has significant limitations, with poor absorption rates and difficulties swallowing for many patients. The company's initial focus is on an oral spray formulation of sildenafil to treat erectile dysfunction that has shown rapid absorption. Suspension technology can be applied to reformulate many prescription and over-the-counter drugs to improve drug delivery, adherence, the onset of action, and user experience.

Michael explains, "Here at Aspargo we have a proprietary technology, both in the suspension and in how we coat it, so that we can mask the taste of the drug itself. And so I know you're going to probably go down the path of our first drug to market, and I'll answer the next question, but masking is key because there are two things that happen with the masking. One is you make it more of a pleasant experience. People are more willing to adhere and comply than administering the drugs. If you don't, people are going to say, my goodness, that tasted horrible, and I'm not going to do that again. Or they're going to be resistant in particular children, they won't do it."

"Well, 30 years in the drug development business, and I will tell you, you bring an ED product to market where you're showing a five-minute absorption time, it captures a lot of people's attention. So we've been very well received. Our first drug to market is an oral spray, sildenafil, which is the active ingredient in Viagra. And what we've shown is a five-minute absorption time. So, it has a lovely peppermint flavor. Now, here's the key there. Sildenafil is extremely bitter. It's one of the top 20 most bitter drugs that is manufactured. Our taste is peppermint. Through the proprietary technology that we have, we've successfully bonded the flavor agents right to the molecule without damaging it. I'll tell you, it's an interesting experience. Typically, it's the medical community. But when you're looking at a drug like Sildenafil, it's a consumer experience as well."

"You have to remind yourself the efficiency of absorption is critical. We look at patients, particularly in oncology, where we know that if they miss a dose of a medicine, cancers rapidly reproduce. So, missing one dose can set a patient back. What we look at and focus on is two things. One is our device to remind patients to dose their medicine. And if they forget that their physician, the physician assistant, or the office manager can intervene and text or call them saying your device just said you didn't dose. That's key."

#AspargoLabs #DrugDelivery #ED #ErectileDysfunction #Sildenafil #DrugAdherence #MedTech

aspargolabs.com

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Kathy Lee-Sepsick, President, Founder, and CEO of Femasys, uses innovative medical technologies to address unmet women's reproductive healthcare needs. Femasyis is developing treatments for infertility and birth control and diagnostic tools to support its treatment offerings. The devices are intentionally designed to be more accessible, less invasive, and safer for women than existing options, some of which have not changed in 100 years.

Kathy explains, "Our technologies are just for women. So, we include broad categories of women. And we did this, particularly with the FemBloc product that we're advancing. It's a non-surgical permanent birth control solution for women that is delivered in the office. No anesthesia, no incisions, no hormones, no implants, none of the things that come par for the course for what's out there right now. And we included in our patient population women who did not have children before, which had never been done before."

"So, there've been other technologies that have come and have failed in this market in an attempt to bring forward a permanent birth control solution that's non-surgical. And they only included women who have had children. When you include women who haven't had children, you have to be very responsible to do that because women should have a choice no matter what their choice is as far as childbearing."

"When we think about infertility, it's not just a woman's issue. And we're seeing the problems in donor sperm also, whether it's a single person or the LGTQ community that's coming forward, they have to get the sperm to contribute to the overall process. And the sperms compromised, like I said, even with donors. So we see a third of the time that it's strictly the male issue. About a third of the time, it's a female issue only, and then the combination is both. So about 50% of the time the male factor is contributing."

#Femasys $FEMY #WomensHealth #IVF #Fertility #Birthcontrol #FemaSeed #FemBloc #FemVue #FemCerv

femasys.com

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Kathy Lee-Sepsick, President, Founder, and CEO of Femasys, uses innovative medical technologies to address unmet women's reproductive healthcare needs. Femasyis is developing treatments for infertility and birth control and diagnostic tools to support its treatment offerings. The devices are intentionally designed to be more accessible, less invasive, and safer for women than existing options, some of which have not changed in 100 years.

Kathy explains, "Our technologies are just for women. So, we include broad categories of women. And we did this, particularly with the FemBloc product that we're advancing. It's a non-surgical permanent birth control solution for women that is delivered in the office. No anesthesia, no incisions, no hormones, no implants, none of the things that come par for the course for what's out there right now. And we included in our patient population women who did not have children before, which had never been done before."

"So, there've been other technologies that have come and have failed in this market in an attempt to bring forward a permanent birth control solution that's non-surgical. And they only included women who have had children. When you include women who haven't had children, you have to be very responsible to do that because women should have a choice no matter what their choice is as far as childbearing."

"When we think about infertility, it's not just a woman's issue. And we're seeing the problems in donor sperm also, whether it's a single person or the LGTQ community that's coming forward, they have to get the sperm to contribute to the overall process. And the sperms compromised, like I said, even with donors. So we see a third of the time that it's strictly the male issue. About a third of the time, it's a female issue only, and then the combination is both. So about 50% of the time the male factor is contributing."

#Femasys $FEMY #WomensHealth #IVF #Fertility #Birthcontrol #FemaSeed #FemBloc #FemVue #FemCerv

femasys.com

Download the transcript here

Kim Brunisholz, director of Population Health Research at Johnson & Johnson, is conducting research to bridge the gap between evidence-based care and its implementation in routine clinical practice. Overcoming the challenges of translating research into practice requires understanding patient-provider perspectives and using qualitative and quantitative methods to identify and address care gaps. This research can also identify root causes and barriers to care, enabling stakeholders to develop and implement interventions to improve patient care.

Kim explains, "My goal is really around how I impact the translation and implementation of evidence-based care into routine practice. What I'm looking to do is ensure that all patients have access to what we know works in medicine. So, there are a variety of questions that we may pursue in our research programs, mostly around how we might think around closing the evidence-to-practice gap for patients and bringing what we know works to them."

"It starts with the patient-provider relationship. And it's probably a lot harder than the public realizes around how we can actually deliver in healthcare, the standard of care. For example, there's a statistic from the early 2000s where we're seeing that it takes on average, about 17 years to translate research into practice. That takes a long time to get what we know works into the hospitals and the clinics and to the bedside."

"What's even worse is that not only does it take forever for that evidence to get to the frontline, but even when it does, what we're seeing is, on average, only about 14% of clinicians will actually adopt that innovation as standard of care. So that means over 80% of patients are getting that low-value care, potentially ineffective care. I think that's what shows up as poor outcomes for our patients."

#MultipleMyeloma #HealthEquity #PopulationHealth #SDOH #SocialDeterminantsofHealth #CancerCare

jnj.com

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Kim Brunisholz, director of Population Health Research at Johnson & Johnson, is conducting research to bridge the gap between evidence-based care and its implementation in routine clinical practice. Overcoming the challenges of translating research into practice requires understanding patient-provider perspectives and using qualitative and quantitative methods to identify and address care gaps. This research can also identify root causes and barriers to care, enabling stakeholders to develop and implement interventions to improve patient care.

Kim explains, "My goal is really around how I impact the translation and implementation of evidence-based care into routine practice. What I'm looking to do is ensure that all patients have access to what we know works in medicine. So, there are a variety of questions that we may pursue in our research programs, mostly around how we might think around closing the evidence-to-practice gap for patients and bringing what we know works to them."

"It starts with the patient-provider relationship. And it's probably a lot harder than the public realizes around how we can actually deliver in healthcare, the standard of care. For example, there's a statistic from the early 2000s where we're seeing that it takes on average, about 17 years to translate research into practice. That takes a long time to get what we know works into the hospitals and the clinics and to the bedside."

"What's even worse is that not only does it take forever for that evidence to get to the frontline, but even when it does, what we're seeing is, on average, only about 14% of clinicians will actually adopt that innovation as standard of care. So that means over 80% of patients are getting that low-value care, potentially ineffective care. I think that's what shows up as poor outcomes for our patients."

#MultipleMyeloma #HealthEquity #PopulationHealth #SDOH #SocialDeterminantsofHealth #CancerCare

jnj.com

Download the transcript here

Nick Orser, General Manager at Verato, highlights the importance of trusted identity data in the healthcare industry and how master data management can help healthcare organizations deliver personalized patient experiences. The proliferation of data sources and health record systems makes maintaining a single, accurate view of each patient challenging. The MDM technology can help healthcare organizations access patient data across multiple systems to improve care outcomes and provide effective analytics and population management tools.

Nick explains, "To summarize what I'm talking about here, despite EHR consolidation with many organizations choosing to go all Epic or all Cerner, despite health system consolidation where organizations are buying up hospitals and physician practices like crazy, there's now this challenge in the industry that is 10 times harder today than it was just a decade ago."

"The challenge is that dozens of these new applications in which a patient's data might be stored that an organization needs to tie together and unify. That data spans numerous clinical encounters, but now, there are marketing applications, digital applications, call centers, joint ventures, telehealth, and home health portals. And it's not just the number of applications that's really hard. It's the fact that my data as a patient might be represented differently across each application. In fact, 30% of stored patient identifying data is out of date, incorrect, or incomplete, making it hard to identify the same patient's data across all these different touch points because patients move and change their address. They get married and change their names, fill out a web form and provide only their email address, and schedule an appointment for a call center that mistypes their birthdate."

#Verato #HealthData #MasterDataManagement #WhoisWho #PtExperience #AIinHealthcare #PatientInformation

verato.com

Listen to the podcast here

Nick Orser, General Manager at Verato, highlights the importance of trusted identity data in the healthcare industry and how master data management can help healthcare organizations deliver personalized patient experiences. The proliferation of data sources and health record systems makes maintaining a single, accurate view of each patient challenging. The MDM technology can help healthcare organizations access patient data across multiple systems to improve care outcomes and provide effective analytics and population management tools.

Nick explains, "To summarize what I'm talking about here, despite EHR consolidation with many organizations choosing to go all Epic or all Cerner, despite health system consolidation where organizations are buying up hospitals and physician practices like crazy, there's now this challenge in the industry that is 10 times harder today than it was just a decade ago."

"The challenge is that dozens of these new applications in which a patient's data might be stored that an organization needs to tie together and unify. That data spans numerous clinical encounters, but now, there are marketing applications, digital applications, call centers, joint ventures, telehealth, and home health portals. And it's not just the number of applications that's really hard. It's the fact that my data as a patient might be represented differently across each application. In fact, 30% of stored patient identifying data is out of date, incorrect, or incomplete, making it hard to identify the same patient's data across all these different touch points because patients move and change their address. They get married and change their names, fill out a web form and provide only their email address, and schedule an appointment for a call center that mistypes their birthdate."

#Verato #HealthData #MasterDataManagement #WhoisWho #PtExperience #AIinHealthcare #PatientInformation

verato.com

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Richard Mackey is the Chief Technology Officer at CCS, a company that provides chronic care management services focusing on diabetes. CCS uses machine learning and generative AI to analyze patient data from continuous glucose monitors and patient interactions to predict potential issues and proactively provide personalized information and support. CCS works with the patient's healthcare provider to support the prescribed care plan, improve adherence to care plans, and improve outcomes.

Richard explains, "On the machine learning side, we have a tremendous amount of data and information about how our patients will understand the devices they might be using. For example, continuous glucose monitors or CGMs are an important standard of care that we work with a lot of patients across the US to equip them, find the right device, help them begin using that device, and best understand what it can do and how it can help them make better decisions to manage their conditions."

"We might talk to the patient once or twice a month. We might be talking to them multiple times within a quarter. In some cases, we're interacting with a patient more often than others in the ecosystem, maybe more often than even their physician in terms of the number of interactions per month or period, even their provider, their health insurance provider, as an example. So all that interaction helps give us information and data to take insights on what those patients might need, what's most important to them, how they interact with us. We also can work with a variety of other sources to bring information together. And by using the machine learning tools that we've developed, we can understand things that are important to them. So, it might be around the product or specific information related to the plan or the payer they're working with."

#CCSmed #Diabete #CGM #ChronicCare #HealthAI #AI

CCSmed.com

Listen to the podcast here

Richard Mackey is the Chief Technology Officer at CCS, a company that provides chronic care management services focusing on diabetes. CCS uses machine learning and generative AI to analyze patient data from continuous glucose monitors and patient interactions to predict potential issues and proactively provide personalized information and support. CCS works with the patient's healthcare provider to support the prescribed care plan, improve adherence to care plans, and improve outcomes.

Richard explains, "On the machine learning side, we have a tremendous amount of data and information about how our patients will understand the devices they might be using. For example, continuous glucose monitors or CGMs are an important standard of care that we work with a lot of patients across the US to equip them, find the right device, help them begin using that device, and best understand what it can do and how it can help them make better decisions to manage their conditions."

"We might talk to the patient once or twice a month. We might be talking to them multiple times within a quarter. In some cases, we're interacting with a patient more often than others in the ecosystem, maybe more often than even their physician in terms of the number of interactions per month or period, even their provider, their health insurance provider, as an example. So all that interaction helps give us information and data to take insights on what those patients might need, what's most important to them, how they interact with us. We also can work with a variety of other sources to bring information together. And by using the machine learning tools that we've developed, we can understand things that are important to them. So, it might be around the product or specific information related to the plan or the payer they're working with."

#CCSmed #Diabete #CGM #ChronicCare #HealthAI #AI

CCSmed.com

Download the transcript here