Ventegra Partners with Scipher Medicine For Patient-Centric Approach To Improve Outcomes and Lower Costs for Rheumatoid Arthritis Care

New PrismRA® blood test enables pharmacy benefit managers to use optimal approach to rheumatoid arthritis treatment

WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Scipher Medicine, a precision immunology company matching patients with their most effective therapy, today announced a partnership with Ventegra, Inc., a new class-of-trade Medical Benefits Manager that uses innovative programs and products to ensure appropriate use of prescription drugs while lowering clients’ costs.

The partnership will enable Ventegra to offer its clients access to Scipher’s PrismRA® liquid molecular signature test, which helps identify the optimal targeted therapy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Ventegra services over 10.6 million patients nationally with innovative precision medicine solutions.

“Our products push the boundaries of current practices in managing healthcare costs, improving efficiencies, and the overall quality of care,” said Ventegra CEO Robert. T. Taketomo, Pharm D, MBA. “PrismRA aligns with our mission to use innovative solutions by deploying new products, technology and a patient-centric approach to ensure appropriate use of prescription drugs, and be a leader in transparent pricing methodology.”

Specialty drug spend is one of the largest contributors to increasing healthcare costs. An estimated $552 billion is wasted each year when patients are prescribed drugs they don’t respond to, placing an undue burden on the healthcare system at large. Most RA patients are prescribed the world’s largest-selling drug class, tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) therapies, yet the majority don’t respond to treatment.

PrismRA accurately predicts which patients will not respond to TNFi therapy so they can start effective alternative targeted therapies instead, helping them reach treatment goals earlier while eliminating unnecessary dose escalations and cycling through multiple ineffective drugs.

“We are proud to be partnering with a new class-of-trade healthcare company that is using the latest innovative solutions and technologies to transform healthcare,” said Alif Saleh, Scipher Medicine CEO. ” PrismRA empowers physicians to optimize therapy, improve patient outcomes, and reduce excess waste and our partnership with Ventegra fits with our strategy of driving patient access nationally.” 

Scipher Medicine’s robust test pipeline is targeting approved therapies with low patient response rates for multiple complex autoimmune diseases, allowing providers to make evidence-based therapy decisions and improve treatment outcomes, addressing a $42 billion market opportunity.

About PrismRA^®

PrismRA, a liquid molecular signature test, is a revolutionary advancement bringing precision medicine to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, which affects 20 million patients globally. From a routine blood draw, the PrismRA test analyzes an individual’s molecular signature, helping identify who is a non-responder to TNFi therapy, the world’s largest selling drug class, so they can be prescribed alternative effective therapy. Providers now have objective data to guide therapeutic decision-making and give patients the best chance of achieving treatment targets and improving clinical outcomes. For more information, please visit www.PrismRA.com.

About Scipher Medicine

Scipher Medicine, a precision immunology company, holds the fundamental belief that patients deserve simple answers to treatment options based on scientifically-backed data. Leveraging our proprietary Spectra® platform and artificial intelligence, we commercialize liquid-based tests revealing a persons’ unique molecular disease signature and match such signature to the most effective therapy, ensuring optimal treatment from day one. The unprecedented quantitiy of patient molecular data generated from our tests further drives the discovery and development of novel and more effective therapeutics. We partner with payers, providers, and pharma along the health care value chain to bring precision medicine to autoimmune diseases. Visit www.sciphermedicine.com and follow Scipher on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Ventegra, Inc.
Ventegra uses innovative programs and products to ensure appropriate use of prescription drugs while lowering clients’ costs. As a Medical Benefit Manager (MBM), Ventegra is a new class-of-trade healthcare model that helps clients gain efficiencies, lower expenditures, and improve the overall quality of care. Ventegra’s offerings include innovative, transparent cost-saving solutions designed for medical groups, health systems, self-insured plans, TPAs, government entities, brokers and consultants, and nonprofits. Ventegra’s leading-edge MBM model, coupled with a solid foundation of company stability and community commitments, has made Ventegra a powerful force in the healthcare industry since its formation in 2004. Ventegra is part of an elite tier of Certified B Corporations that hold each other accountable to maintaining a balance between purpose and profit. www.ventegra.com