US Bioservices, a specialty pharmacy that is a part of AmerisourceBergen, announced today it has been selected by Rigel Pharmaceuticals to dispense TAVALISSE™ (fostamatinib disodium hexahydrate) Tablets.TAVALISSE™ was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on April 17, 2018 for the treatment of adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who have had an insufficient response to a previous treatment. ITP is a rare blood disorder in which the immune system attacks and destroys platelets in the blood.
TP impacts approximately 65,000 adult patients in the U.S. The disorder can be characterized by excessive bruising and bleeding due to abnormally low platelet counts. Many adult patients with ITP develop the chronic form of the disease that requires more specialized disease management and continued follow-up care with a hematologist. Rigel Pharmaceuticals’ fostamatinib ITP program was developed to treat chronic ITP, targeting an underlying autoimmune cause of the disease through inhibiting the SYK pathway.
“Adult patients with rare and orphan diseases like chronic ITP often require highly targeted and specialized therapy. This is especially true for chronic ITP patients who had an inadequate response to previous treatment, requiring specialized care,” said Kelly Ratliff, President of US Bioservices. “US Bioservices’ unmatched experience in rare disease, hematology and oncology allows us to apply a unique, clinically-coordinated approach that specifically supports the needs of the smallest patient populations in their communities.”
US Bioservices’ multidisciplinary teams are organized to develop long-standing, collaborative relationships with hematologists and oncologists in order to deliver more integrated care for patients and caregivers. In addition to US Bioservices, AmerisourceBergen companies – ASD Healthcare, Oncology Supply and ION Solutions – will respectively support specialty distribution to health systems and hematology and community oncology practices for the launch of TAVALISSE™. Whether a patient presents for care in a health system or community prescriber’s office, patients will be able to fill their prescriptions at their preferred point of care. This concerted approach will strategically and geographically increase the accessibility of TAVALISSE™ for patients and allow for a seamless transition to US Bioservices pharmacy dispensing.