Health tech company Waltz Health will merge with Eversana with the goal of shaking up access to prescription drugs.
The deal will bring together Waltz's proprietary drug marketplaces and direct-to-payer model with Eversana's global pharmaceutical commercialization platform. In tandem, the two platforms will be well positioned to tackle the misaligned incentives in the drug supply chain and close gaps for patients, the companies said.
The combination will be especially critical in driving down the cost of pricey specialty pharmacy products, including GLP-1s, according to an announcement. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Mark Thierer, Waltz Health's CEO and co-founder and chairman of Eversana, will become CEO of the new combined company. Thierer is a healthcare veteran with experience in the traditional pharmacy benefit management space, serving as the CEO of Optum Rx from 2015 to 2017.
“This is a pivotal moment for the healthcare industry,” Thierer said in the announcement. “By combining Eversana's pharma services with Waltz’s technology-enabled payer solutions, we’re creating a unified platform that connects life sciences innovation directly to the organizations and individuals we’re meant to serve.
"This model is built to accelerate access, improve outcomes and deliver smarter, more transparent drug commercialization at every step," he added.
Eversana's CEO Jim Lang will serve as a board member of the combined organization.
The combined suite of solutions leans on Eversana's "deep bench" of experience in the pharmaceutical commercialization space as well as Waltz Health's proprietary tech stack to create a "turnkey" solution for drugmakers to reach patients, according to the announcement.
Through net-price models, copay optimization tools and pharmacy routing, the company is able to improve adherence and reduce the likelihood that a patient will abandon their medications.
The companies note in the announcement that the merger comes at time when pharmaceutical pricing is a major focus for policymakers and patient advocates alike. The combined platforms seek to balance innovative ideas with patient access and support.
“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," Thierer said.