ZappRx Hires Biopharmaceutical Industry Leader as Chief Operating Officer
BOSTON, Sept. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ZappRx (zapprx.com), a digital specialty prescribing platform focused on increasing patient access to therapy, today announced the hiring of Sandy DiCesare as Chief Operating Officer. DiCesare most recently served as VP of Commercial Operations at Takeda Oncology. She joined Millennium Pharmaceuticals in 1998 as VP, Information Technology and then served as VP, Launch Platform in 2002, leading the build-out of capabilities to support Millennium's first oncology launch. Millennium Pharmaceutical was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in 2008.
"Sandy's management and commercial operations experience at Takeda Oncology make her the perfect fit for this role," said Zoë Barry, Founder and CEO of ZappRx. "She has proven expertise leading a broad range of technology and commercial operations within a small company, which was later acquired and grew into a global entity. Sandy's most recent experience launching Takeda's first oral oncology product, along with her management of the data strategy, will serve the company well as we build out biotech-centric offerings."
In early 2015, ZappRx announced Series A funding, including a $5.6 million round led by SR One, the venture arm of GlaxoSmithKline, with participation from Atlas Venture. Since then, the company has grown to 20 employees, raised $14M, and anticipates additional growth.
"I have seen firsthand how the biopharmaceutical industry is in great need of ZappRx's solutions," said DiCesare. "I am joining the company at a critical time, when the number of specialty therapies available and their costs have increased. Yet, despite market growth, drug manufacturers often don't have real-time information to evaluate performance and improve access for patients."
U.S. spending on prescription drugs is projected to reach $500B by 2020. Specialty drugs represent less than 2% of prescriptions written, but account for almost 40% of drug spending. The process of getting a drug from prescription to patient is cumbersome and delays patient access to critical therapy.
About ZappRx
ZappRx is modernizing and simplifying the way specialty medications are managed. The company provides a secure, collaborative online platform that allows patients, physicians, and pharmacists to work together to improve patients' access to treatment, delivering medicine faster, with fewer hassles and greater transparency. ZappRx is on the web at ZappRx.com. Follow ZappRx on Twitter at twitter.com/zapprx.
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SOURCE ZappRx
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