Mednow Inc (TSX-V:MNOW, OTCQB:MDNWF) said its Liver Care Canada subsidiary has entered into a partnership agreement with HepCURE, a non-profit company and one of Canada's leading hepatitis C screening and treatment providers, to achieve the goal of eliminating hepatitis C in the country by 2030.
Liver Care Canada will now offer its patients access to HepCURE's programming and services to further improve medication adherence and optimize treatment outcomes.
"This is the first time two providers that treat hepatitis C have joined forces to share their knowledge and expertise to make a significant impact on elimination of hepatitis C in Canada,” said Karim Ragheb, CEO of Liver Care Canada in a statement.
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“This partnership represents a transformational shift in industry by breaking down and eliminating competitive behaviors that will only further benefit patients in need of care and treatment and bring synergies to both organizations," he added.
Mednow acquired Liver Care Canada earlier this year and now looks to expand and scale that business nationally by leveraging Mednow's existing national pharmacy footprint.
"This is an example of how commercial/for profit and non-profits can work together for a noble cause and be more effective than traditional fundraising or government-reliant solutions. We are excited to join forces with HepCURE as our elimination partner and to offer our patients a comprehensive model of care that truly breaks down treatment barriers,” said Ali Reyhany, founder and CEO at Mednow.
Liver Care Canada's clinic network and teams will further enhance the reach and delivery of services to priority patient populations across Canada through this collaborative partnership.
Although preventable and curable, Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been described as Canada's "most burdensome infectious illness" since it causes more years of life lost than any other infectious disease in the country. Without urgent actions, HCV will continue to spread, and Canada will face increasing rates of HCV-related illness and death in the coming years, with a corresponding surge in healthcare costs. People can have hepatitis C for many years without having symptoms even though the virus may be injuring their liver.
“HepCURE's programming has been specifically tailored for priority populations, many who do not normally seek care because of discrimination. Our model of care has been successful in diagnosing 91% of program participants that have been exposed to hepatitis C and linking 80% of qualified patients to care and treatment,” explains Christian Marcoux, founder and director of Outreach Services at HepCURE.
“Treatment is very costly and can result in high exposure to both public and private payers if not managed correctly. We spend a lot of time providing meaningful education to those at risk and have maintained >85% treatment compliance rates over the last 12 months for those requiring treatment resulting in better clinical outcomes," he added.
Toronto-based Mednow is a healthcare technology company that offers virtual access with a high standard of care. Its virtual pharmacy Mednow.ca provides pharmaceutical and telemedicine services as well as doctor home visits through an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare that is focused on the patient experience.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com