![Signals From [Space]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/e_trim:10:white/e_trim:10:transparent/h_72,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2efc1ef1-ba0b-4ca3-b9f6-a9a790da4b38_1344x256.png)
Across the Kidneyverse: January 19, 2024
Across the Kidneyverse: January 19, 2024
This week: Monogram, Fresenius, Sonavex, XRHealth, and more.
Welcome to our first Kidneyverse recap for 2024. This is a new format, so if you like the headlines, closer look, & visual of the week, please leave a comment!
Themes this week include value-based care, leadership changes, research, and spatial computing (virtual and mixed reality). Have news to share? Let me know!
IN THIS ISSUE
Headlines
Here’s what caught my eye over the past two weeks:
Monogram Health just announced an expanded partnership with Point32Health to include members of the Tufts Health Direct population. (Press release)
This is Craig Cordola's first month as CEO of Care Delivery for Fresenius Medical Care after joining the Management Board in October. Previously, Craig served as EVP of Ascension Capital, and COO for Ascension, as well as several senior leadership positions at Memorial Hermann Health System. (LinkedIn, Press release)
Artificial intelligence can help kidney care providers, but clinicians need to use it wisely. That’s the topline takeaway from a recent Healio article that gives us a balanced take on AI — using abstracts from ASN Kidney Week — which talks about clinical applications, research, and data privacy. (Healio)
Sonavex announced that it completed its initial clinical study and was granted approval from the FDA (IDE) to trial its ultrasound tech that delivers quantitative blood flow and other vascular data at the point of care. (Press release)
Learn how the VA is using TeleNephrology to increase access to kidney care and support the 34% of adults over 65 estimated to have kidney disease. (VA News). I also wrote about that program here.
A recent study by Dr. Lisa McElroy and her colleagues found racial disparities in living donor kidney transplants have not improved during an 11-year period; however, strategies like paired exchange and voucher programs may help mitigate these inequities. (Healio)
Speaking of transplants, a recent survey of 802 US adults shows that most would consider becoming a living donor, and donation rates could increase with culturally competent education. Current barriers include concerns about paying for medical expenses and potential health impacts. (Kidney Med)
A new study in JAMA Pediatrics shows high BMI in adolescence raises the odds of early CKD in young adulthood— a “harbinger of the potentially preventable increasing burden of CKD and subsequent cardiovascular disease.” (Healio)
Results from the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial show patients with type 2 diabetes on empagliflozin were significantly less likely to experience a rapid decline in eGFR compared to patients on placebo. (NEJM)
XRHealth announced the completion of its merger with Amelia Virtual Care and $6 million to support the combined companies’ growth. The VR platform allows patients to connect with providers virtually and receive VR-based therapies using headsets sent directly to patients’ homes. (mobihealthnews)
Pre-orders for Apple’s new Vision Pro headset begin today, January 19, 2024.
A Closer Look
Here’s a closer look at a few headlines from above and why they matter:
1. Monogram Health just announced an expanded partnership with Point32Health to include members of the Tufts Health Direct population.
The two organizations began working together in 2022. Point32Health is the parent company of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
Why it matters: Growth. This follows last weeks’ announcement of a new partnership with Millennium Physicians Group, a multi-year deal that will expand Monogram’s footprint and in-home nephrology and specialty care for thousands of Floridians. This also marks one year since Monogram closed $375 million from industry leaders including CVS, Cigna, Humana, TPG, and Frist Cressey.
2. Sonavex announced that it completed its initial clinical study and was granted approval from the FDA (IDE) to trial its ultrasound tech that delivers quantitative blood flow and other vascular data at the point of care.
EchoMark and EchoSure will allow medical professionals to collect essential vascular parameters in the dialysis clinic to assess AV fistula maturation.
Why it matters: The trial (called MAFASA) aims to enroll 304 patients to demonstrate how the use of these tools will reduce time to AV fistula maturation and reduce the costs of managing dialysis patients. Dr. Stephen Hohmann will serve as National PI.
3. XRHealth announced the completion of its merger with Amelia Virtual Care and $6 million to support the combined companies’ growth.
XRHealth's platform allows patients with stress and anxiety, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and neurological conditions to connect with a provider via telehealth and receive recommended therapies on a virtual reality headset that's sent to the patient's home. Data is collected and transferred to the provider, and patients can track their process via XRHealth's mobile app.
Why it matters: VR helps providers and patients in ways that traditional care models cannot, especially when it comes to areas like learning and therapeutics. To date, XRHealth has raised close to $40 million to build its platform. Last year, XRHealth was awarded a U.S. patent for a learning system technology that adjusts training and treatment protocols according to a patient's biometric and motion data.
Note: If you want to know more about VR applications in kidney care, you can read IKONA’s work in Nephrology Nursing Journal (here, here, here, and here).
Visual of the week
Pictures say a thousand words. What does this one tell you about the future of digital innovation in biopharma?
This week I shared a post about a new Syneos Health survey revealing digital innovation areas that are top deal targets entering 2024, including virtual reality patient engagement and AI-enabled drug discovery.
Across digital therapeutics, biopharma companies are interested in both organically developing (28%) and seeking external opportunities (57%) to buy or license technologies like VR and AI.
Need more proof that patient engagement is top of mind? Look no further than Eli Lilly’s launch of LillyDirect two weeks ago, which aims to bring disease management resources, access to providers, tailored support, and direct home delivery of meds into one place. (H/t Maureen Bala)
What do you think — will we see an increase in M&A and partnerships this year?
Thanks for tuning in this week. Please share this dose of optimism with your corner of the Kidneyverse — and consider subscribing today!