Real world evidence demonstrates pharmaceutical support programs positively impact patient persistence with clozapine treatment
Study highlights significant differences in clozapine persistence rates across pharmaceutical support programs
DORVAL, QC, May 28, 2024 /CNW/ - HLS Therapeutics Inc. ("HLS" or the "Company") (TSX: HLS), a pharmaceutical company focused on addressing unmet needs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular disease, announces that results from a Quebec-based retrospective study examining the positive impact of pharmaceutical support programs ("PSPs") on persistence with clozapine treatment have been published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
The publication, titled "The Impact of Pharmaceutical Support Programs on Persistence: Clinical, Human and Economic Impact of Clozapine Support Programs in Quebec, Canada", is based on an 18-month persistence study conducted using data from the Régie de l' Assurance Maladie du Québec ("RAMQ") for patients who were initiated on clozapine treatment.
Clozapine PSPs were created to provide additional services to help health care providers manage patients being treated with clozapine which is the only approved treatment for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia ("TRS") in Canada. Approximately 25-30% of people with Schizophrenia have TRS. HLS's branded version of clozapine is CLOZARIL? and its associated PSP is the CLOZARIL Support and Assistance Network, or CSAN?.
The study highlights that helping patients maintain persistence with clozapine treatment is a critical success factor for the management of TRS patients, resulting in reduced pain and suffering of the patient, improved treatment benefits, and reduced health care costs. The study found that persistence rates were better when clozapine was paired with a PSP, including a 69% reported persistence rate overall for CSAN, as opposed to a 25% persistence rate without a program. The study also notes that differences in the offerings between PSPs can have an impact on persistence, placing varying demands on the health care system.
"Improved persistence with clozapine treatment not only benefits patients and their families, but it also saves the healthcare system important resources, as patients who are stabilized on clozapine treatment require fewer hospitalizations, emergency room consultations and physician visits," said Jason A. Gross, Pharm.D., Vice President, Scientific Affairs at HLS. "I'm very proud of the hard work our CSAN team does every day on behalf of patients and practitioners. This publication demonstrates the important impact they have on patient care."
Formed in 2015, HLS is a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition and commercialization of late-stage development, commercial stage promoted and established branded pharmaceutical products in the North American markets. HLS's focus is on products targeting the central nervous system and cardiovascular therapeutic areas. HLS's management team is composed of seasoned pharmaceutical executives with a strong track record of success in these therapeutic areas and at managing products in each of these lifecycle stages. For more information visit: www.hlstherapeutics.com
FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding HLS and its business. Such statements are based on the current expectations and views of future events of HLS's management. In some cases the forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may", "will", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "potential", "estimate", "believe" or the negative of these terms, or other similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, including, among others, statements with respect to HLS's pursuit of additional product and pipeline opportunities in certain therapeutic markets, statements regarding growth opportunities, expectations regarding financial performance, and the NCIB and ASPP. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting HLS, including risks relating to the specialty pharmaceutical industry, risks related to the regulatory approval process, economic factors and many other factors beyond the control of HLS. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause HLS's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. A discussion of the material risks and assumptions associated with this release can be found in the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 13, 2024, and Management's Discussion and Analysis dated May 8, 2024, both of which have been filed on SEDAR and can be accessed at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and HLS undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
