BELLEVUE, WA--(Marketwired - Sep 27, 2016) - AstaMed, a division of Astavita, Inc., and a biotech leader in the development and commercialization of natural astaxanthin prescription medical foods, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Symplmed Technologies to distribute its medical food product -- AstaMed MYO -- through www.AstaMed-Direct.com. The patient membership program, powered by Symplmed's patented DyrctAxess Technology, will provide patients with a guaranteed price of $60 or less for a 30-day supply of AstaMed MYO at the recommended daily dose as prescribed by physicians. AstaMed-Direct will also accept insurance plans and provide delivery directly to a patient's home and automate reminders and refills. The program with launch October 1, 2016 in parallel with the new effective date of the ICD-10 diagnosis code for sarcopenia -- M62.84.
"Partnering with Astavita to provide new options for helping to address the long term health requirements of people living with the debilitating effects of sarcopenia is another great opportunity to help patients and manufacturers," said Erik Emerson, President and CEO of Symplmed Technologies. "Both companies are strategically positioned to deploy state-of-the art technology combined with ground breaking medicine to help prescribers and patients live healthier and happier lives."
Astavita recently announced preliminary interim results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study at the University of Washington, showing patients with sarcopenia significantly improved muscle strength as a result of receiving 30 days of AstaMed MYO without any lifestyle modifications or additional exercise protocols. The ongoing study is designed to explore the effectiveness of AstaMed MYO among adult patients with sarcopenia who have impaired muscle function. Final results are anticipated in Q4' 2016 or Q1' 2017.
"We are excited to partner with Symplmed to provide both patients and providers with an efficient and effective fulfillment solution that delivers our prescription products throughout the U.S.," said Dan Henry, General Manager, Astavita, Inc. "We look forward to working with Symplmed to meet the healthcare needs of patients with sarcopenia."
AstaMed-Direct (www.AstaMed-Direct.com) is the 3rd program to use the DyrctAxess technology to streamline the prescription process. Through the secure portal, patients can communicate treatment response data to prescribing physicians between office visits. Symplmed's patented technology platform, DyrctAxess™ offers enhanced efficiency, control and information to empower patients, physicians and manufacturers to help achieve optimal care.
About Sarcopenia
Sarcopenia is the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle. In sarcopenia, muscle mass, quality, and strength progressively decreases beyond the normal aging process, compromising physical function and independence, increasing risk of disability, and lowering quality of life in older adults. Although it is estimated that sarcopenia affects approximately 45% of the U.S. senior population and exceeds $18 billion in direct healthcare costs, there are no approved pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of sarcopenia. Beginning October 2016, sarcopenia will be coded in the International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) under the code of M62.84
About Symplmed
Symplmed Technologies is a private medical company improving the way manufacturers market, sell and distribute medical products by providing them directly to physicians, patients and care providers. Our patented technology platform, DyrctAxess, enables direct order and delivery of ours and our partner's medications, eliminating issues of unfilled prescriptions while having a positive impact on compliance and outcomes. DyrctAxess further advances care by providing patients and doctors shared access to real-time information about medication use and its efficacy. For more information, visit www.sympltech.com.
About AstaMed® MYO
AstaMed MYO is a prescription medical food for the clinical dietary management of sarcopenia. The formulation consists of proprietary natural astaxanthin as well as natural tocotrienols, zinc and vitamin D3. The product is expected to be available in Q4' 2016 from pharmacies. For more information, please visit: www.astamed.net
About AstaMed and Astavita, Inc.
AstaMed is a biotech leader in the development and commercialization of prescription medical foods containing proprietary natural astaxanthin. AstaMed is a division of Astavita, Inc. and a member of the AstaReal Group; a fully owned subsidiary of Fuji Chemical Group and global pioneers in natural astaxanthin cultivation, R&D, and clinical science. For more information, please visit: www.astamed.net
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Jeff Denenholz
Astavita, Inc.
206-437-9810