• Patient Assistance Program and Voucher Program will support both insured and uninsured patients in the United States get access to medicines that can ease the burden of chemotherapy side effects
• Akynzeo® to be first Helsinn marketed product to be provided through “Helsinn Cares” program in the United States
Lugano, Switzerland and Iselin, USA, February 13, 2017 – Helsinn, a Swiss pharmaceutical group focused on building quality cancer care products, announces that it has launched “Helsinn Cares” Patient Support Services (“a patient and provider HUB”) for Akynzeo® (netupitant/palonosetron). “Helsinn Cares”, which has been launched today in the United States, represents a new commitment from Helsinn to help patients in need get access to their medicines. Helsinn’s goal, over time, is to make patient access easier across our current and future products.
Helsinn recognizes that not all patients are always able to get access to the medicines that can significantly ease the burden of chemotherapy side effects, and that the process of establishing eligibility can be challenging. “Helsinn Cares” is designed to support all patients in the United States as they seek to get access to these medicines.
“Helsinn Cares” will be a single point of access and support for people seeking help to find access to the medicines that they need in the United States. Patients will be assigned a dedicated case worker through Helsinn Cares, who will be able to help resolve benefit and coverage issues, give reimbursement assistance and find co-pay assistance for uninsured patients. Telephone support will be made available, alongside a website providing information for patients and providers.
Riccardo Braglia, Helsinn Group Vice Chairman and CEO, commented: “At Helsinn we are committed to improving the quality of everyday lives of cancer patients regardless of their level of income or healthcare coverage. Helping patients receiving chemotherapy in the United States to gain access to Akynzeo®, through our patient support services, will make their life easier and is essential in helping solve some of the high co-pay issues that some patients face”.
Helsinn Cares includes a Patient Assistance Program (PAP) and a Quick Start Voucher Program. The Patient Assistance Program is designed to provide free access to Akynzeo® for uninsured patients in the United States who meet the established program criteria or those who are underinsured and thus would benefit from the assistance. The Quick Start Voucher program provides help for patients with insurance who are investigating their benefits.
To access Helsinn Cares or enroll a patient in the United States, please call 1-844-HELSINN-U (1-844-357-4668) or visit http://helsinnreimbursement.com
About Akynzeo
Akynzeo® is a medicine used to prevent nausea and vomiting in adult patients with cancer induced by either highly emetogenic chemotherapy based on the cancer medicine cisplatin, or other chemotherapies that are moderately emetogenic. Akynzeo® contains the active substances netupitant and palonosetron. It works by blocking two different mechanisms involved in inducing nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy. Netupitant works by blocking neurokinin-1 (NK1)-receptors, which are found in the nervous system and are responsible for the delayed phase of nausea and vomiting); palonosetron, on the other hand, blocks 5HT3 receptors in the gut, which are responsible for the immediate phase.
About the Helsinn Group
Helsinn is a privately owned pharmaceutical group with an extensive portfolio of marketed cancer care products and a broad development pipeline. Since 1976, Helsinn has been improving the everyday lives of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and quality. The Group works across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices and nutritional supplements and has expertise in research, development, manufacture and the commercialization of therapeutic and supportive care products for cancer, pain and inflammation and gastroenterology. In 2016, Helsinn created the Helsinn Investment Fund to support early-stage investment opportunities in areas of unmet patient need. The company is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, with operating subsidiaries in Ireland and the US, a representative office in China as well as a product presence in about 90 countries globally. For more information, please visit www.helsinn.com.
