Digital health company Waltz Health and life sciences company Eversana are merging to create a combined pharmaceutical healthcare platform for improved patient drug access, the companies announced this week.
The move integrates Waltz Health's drug price technology into Eversana's global commercialization services.
Targeting “misaligned incentives and fragmented patient experiences,” the companies said the merger will lower the cost of specialty medications and high-cost drug classes like GLP-1s.
Mark Thierer, cofounder and CEO of Waltz Health and chairman of Eversana, will serve as CEO of the combined organization. Thierer previously served as CEO of Optum Rx, following UnitedHealth Group's $13 billion acquisition of Catamaran.
WHAT’S THE IMPACT
The combined organization integrates patient services, field teams, digital marketing and reimbursement support in a modern software infrastructure, the companies said.
Together, the companies enable net-price models, copay optimization and integrated pharmacy routing they said reduces patient abandonment and increases therapeutic persistence.
Through Waltz Connect, Waltz Health’s artificial intelligence-powered specialty pharmacy platform, the companies said Eversana now has a fully integrated, URAC-accredited specialty pharmacy network designed for high-cost therapies and limited distribution drugs. The Utilization Review Accreditation Commission is an independent organization that accredits healthcare organizations to ensure they meet certain quality standards.
The new organization said it aims to address the increasing pressure on the pharmaceutical industry over drug pricing, patient affordability and channel inefficiencies with a “value-focused model” that integrates access and transparency.
"This combination brings together the scale and services of Eversana with Waltz Health's payer-integrated platforms to create a company purpose-built for the future of life sciences," said Thierer. "Together, we are launching a new-to-the-world model that directly connects manufacturers to patients and payers, delivering significant cost savings and improved patient outcomes to the healthcare system."
THE LARGER TREND
Waltz Health is a digital health company designed for payers, pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers and self-insured employers. The company offers AI-driven marketplaces intended to lower overall drug costs.
Eversana serves more than 650 organizations, including startups and established pharmaceutical companies.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.