Accord BioPharma Partners with StoryMD to Deliver Advanced Prostate Cancer Educational Content to Clinicians and Patients

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Accord BioPharma, the U.S. specialty division of Intas Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., focused on development of oncology, immunology, and critical care therapies, announced today a partnership with StoryMD. The StoryMD platform is a single, unified, personalized digital health information portfolio that curates the most relevant, visually rich content based on a patient's condition. Accord BioPharma has signed on as StoryMD's very first corporate partner, to support StoryMD's advanced prostate cancer content, allowing Accord BioPharma to provide a comprehensive, user-friendly tool to help patients and their caregivers navigate advanced prostate cancer, just in time for prostate cancer awareness month this September.

"At Accord BioPharma, we recognize the need to go beyond biology – and beyond our responsibility of drug development – to help change the clinician and patient experience at all touchpoints in the care continuum where we can," said Chrys Kokino, President of U.S. BioPharma at Accord BioPharma. "StoryMD exemplifies that mission by providing clinicians with clear, easy-to-understand visuals, videos, and health information that help their patients understand their disease journey. Partnering with StoryMD on their advanced prostate cancer content felt like a natural fit given our recent drug launch."

In March of this year, Accord BioPharma announced the U.S. launch of CAMCEVI® (leuprolide) 42mg injection emulsion for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer in adults. CAMCEVI should not be used in patients with hypersensitivity to GnRN, GnRH agonist analogs as anaphylactic reactions to these drugs have been reported in the medical literature.  Accord BioPharma is heading all commercial initiatives in the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the New Drug Application (NDA) of CAMCEVI from Foresee Pharmaceuticals on May 25, 2021.

Through a vast library of curated, clinically accurate disease-state information, graphics, and videos, StoryMD enables physicians to share an easy-to-understand disease journey with patients at the point of care, which can help increase patient retention of information and engagement, improve physician efficiency, and reduce the amount of misinformation patients may seek out on their own. "Accord BioPharma is making efforts to provide important patient and provider education in pursuit of our aim to offer latest treatment options to patients of advanced prostate cancer and we look forward to our collaboration with StoryMD to provide comprehensive and user-friendly tools for patients and care givers" said Binish Chudgar, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd, which is the parent company of Accord BioPharma.

"Every once in a while, you meet a person and a partner who has a vision. Chrys Kokino has that vision to go beyond drug development and sees the value in advancing technology rather than being afraid of it," said Alexander Tsiaras, CEO and Founder at StoryMD. "And that's exactly what we want – partners who recognize the gap in communication between physicians and patients and who want to work together to close that gap and fill an unmet need."

On the importance of prostate cancer awareness, Tsiaras said, "I have a family member who works in the medical field, and when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, it was amazing how little he knew. Cancer is such a confusing and overwhelming disease – 'Do I wait and watch? Should I be aggressive in treatment?' So, even for the most educated among us, it is a scary moment. Accord BioPharma and StoryMD are working together to go beyond offering patients drug options to impart knowledge and serve as a trusted resource."

CAMCEVI, like other GnRH agonists, causes a transient increase in serum levels of testosterone during the first week of treatment which can cause transient worsening of symptoms. As with other GnRH agonists, cases of ureteral obstruction, spinal cord compression, have been observed, which may contribute to paralysis with or without fatal complications. 

Patients with metastatic vertebral lesions and/or with urinary tract obstruction should be closely observed during the first few weeks of therapy.

Hyperglycemia and an increased risk of developing diabetes have been reported in men receiving GnRH agonists. Blood glucose levels should be monitored and managed according to current clinical practice.

Increased risk of myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, and stroke has been reported in association with the use of GnRH agonists. The risk appears low based on the reported odds ratios and should be evaluated carefully along with cardiovascular risk factors when determining a treatment for patients with prostate cancer. Patients should be monitored for cardiovascular disease and according to current clinical practice.

Androgen deprivation therapy may prolong the QT interval. Consider periodic monitoring of electrocardiograms and electrolytes.

Convulsions have been reported in patients receiving GnRH agonists, like CAMCEVI. Patients experiencing convulsions should be managed according to the current clinical practice.

Monitor serum levels of testosterone following injection of CAMCEVI.

Based on findings in animal studies and mechanism of action, CAMCEVI may cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women.

The most common (≥10%) adverse reactions during a median follow-up of 336 days were hot flush, hypertension, injection site reactions, upper respiratory tract infections, musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and pain in extremities.

Click here for full prescribing information: https://www.accordbiopharma.com/our-therapies/camcevi/camcevi_pi.pdf 

Accord BioPharma, the U.S. specialty division of Intas Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., seeks to provide affordable, accessible, patient-centric therapies in oncology, immunology, and critical care. With a focus on improving the patient's experience, Accord BioPharma goes beyond the biology of medicine to see disease from the patient's perspective and develop high-quality therapies that impact patient's lives. The founders of Accord BioPharma have dedicated their time, passion, and resources to focusing on specialty care and treatments, proactively developing better ways of working, and delivering enhanced therapies. For more information, Visit AccordBioPharma.com.

CAMCEVI® (leuprolide) injection emulsion is the first-ever ready-to-inject sterile formulation of leuprolide mesylate for subcutaneous injection that comes in a pre-filled syringe with no mixing required. In an open-label, single-arm study of 137 adults who received 42mg of CAMCEVI on Day 0 and Week 24, CAMCEVI offered consistent testosterone suppression to castrate levels (less than or equal to 50ng/dL) after the initial injection, from Week 4 to Week 48.¹ CAMCEVI should not be used in patients with hypersensitivity to GnRH or GnRH analogs due to possible anaphylactic reactions.¹ The most common adverse reactions (≥10%) occurring during a median follow-up duration of 336 days were hot flush, hypertension, injection site reactions, upper respiratory tract infections, musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and pain in extremity.¹

References:
1. CAMCEVI. Prescribing Information. Accord BioPharma; May 2021.

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SOURCE Accord BioPharma