“Our collaboration with RxCKSTxR perfectly reflects why we’re dedicated to treating dogs and cats like family. They make our lives great.” says Dan Pingree, Chief Marketing Officer at PetMeds®. “It’s when we truly listen to them that we understand their needs – and hilarity ensues when we realize that our pets are just like us.”
“Dogs and cats have a lot to say, which is why it’s been an honor to team up with PetMeds, a company that shares our passion for giving pets a voice.” says Bobby “RxCKSTxR” Johnson. “When we treat dogs and cats like family, they don’t hesitate to let us know how they really feel.”
About PetMeds® Founded in 1996, PetMeds® (petmeds.com) is Your Trusted Pet Health Expert, providing fast, easy and helpful service to over 10 million customers across the U.S. by delivering prescription and non-prescription medications and pet supplies for less, direct to the consumer through its PetMeds® toll-free number, on the Internet through its website PetMeds.com, or with the PetMeds® mobile app available for free at Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS. PetCareRx (petcarerx.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of PetMeds®, whose mission is to add love to the world by enhancing the lives of pets and pet parents.
About RxCKSTxR Founded in 2020, RxCKSTxR is an ensemble of comedy voiceover actors led by rapper and producer Bobby Johnson. In 2023, the team has been in the works of producing a full-length animated feature film titled “Birdy and Pooch.” RxCKSTxR’s viral voiceover videos can be found at @theRxCKstXR on TikTok and Instagram. For more information about RxCKSTxR’s upcoming projects, visit ih8rxckstxr.com.
Vaccine development in the post-COVID era has brought forth numerous new insights, considerations and challenges. In this interview, Xtalks spoke with Maria Reyes Boceta-Muñoz, Clinical Operations Head of Development R&D at GlaxoSmithKline in Spain, Portugal & Israel, to understand the current vaccine development climate and where the field is headed.
TORONTO, Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The field of vaccine development has unique complexities and challenges, some of which include the use of new technologies, scaling up production, equitable vaccine distribution particularly in low-and-middle-income countries and addressing safety concerns and vaccine hesitancy. Many of these aspects were highlighted during the development of the COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine developers have undoubtedly learned a great deal from the experience.
In an article published today, Xtalks spoke with Maria Reyes Boceta-Muñoz, Clinical Operations Head of Development R&D at GlaxoSmithKline in Spain, Portugal & Israel, to understand the current vaccine development landscape post-COVID-19 and where the field is headed. With over two decades of experience in vaccine research, Boceta-Muñoz has experience across all clinical development phases in a range of therapeutic areas.
Boceta-Muñoz spoke about some of the key considerations and trends in the vaccine development landscape today, including the leveraging of new technologies, the importance of collaborative efforts to effectively address new public health threats, optimizing clinical study designs, new regulatory pathways for approval and the need for quickness and readiness to respond to public health emergencies.
In this interview, she shared her thoughts on the changes that have occurred in vaccine development in the post-pandemic era, and the changes that are needed in the future to improve the current state of vaccine development.
Maria Reyes Boceta-Muñoz is the chairperson for the Vaccine Development Peer Circle, an exclusive think-tank of high-level industry professionals looking for collaborative solutions to common challenges. Click here to learn more about how you can access this members-only event.
Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.
Register for the live webinar taking place on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at 11am EDT (4pm BST/UK), which will feature the following experts from the PPD clinical research business: Chris Clendening, Senior Vice President, Global Laboratory Services, Central Lab; Olivia Aspite, Executive Director, Global Lab Operations; Tricia Moloy, Director of Project Management; and Tracy Roe, Vice President, Development Operations.
Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.
In this webinar, featured speakers Michael Eugene, Director of Commercial Excellence, ACTO; and Carl Wooten, Chief Consulting Officer — Pharma-Biotech Access, Carl Wooten Consulting, will share how creating transparency in training and sales performance can give insight into the brand strategy effectiveness, which will further enable your sales team to educate and build trust with key healthcare professionals (HCPs) and other stakeholders for optimal launch performance.
Register for this live webinar taking place on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 11am EDT (4pm BST/UK) to gain insights into how creating transparency in product launch training and aligning brand strategy with field execution can lead to a blockbuster launch.
Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.
Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year, thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.
With its flagship center in Beverly Hills, California, Thrive Health IV established leadership with a first-of-its-kind treatment center of excellence offering viable, FDA approved non-surgical treatment options as well as clinical trials for new advances in treatment and care for TED. Thrive Health IV continued to build a strong foothold in Southern California in 2022 opening Long Beach, Newport and in 2023 San Diego, in addition to its flagship center in New York City.
Thrive Health IV leverages cutting edge science and exceptional concierge care in the growing category of medical biologics and new disease modalities. “The key driving force behind the expansion of Thrive Health IV is highly qualified expertise, exemplary patient centric treatments and support services with next level innovations in treatment options”, said CEO Raymond Douglas, MD PhD. “With our new sites and team of highly-respected medical partners, we can provide the highest industry standards and introduce new treatment options to more of the patient population suffering from rare autoimmune ophthalmic diseases and other conditions.”
Beyond onsite infusion, research and trials looking for new administrations including oral and subcutaneous opportunities, Thrive Health IV is furthering its concierge medical collaborations in partnership by identifying practices and providers that want to build a treatment center of excellence for their patients.
Renowned medical professionals and key opinion leaders at the expanding Thrive Health IV centers of excellence include the appointment of Board Certified Oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeons Audrey C. Ko, MD and Douglas R Casady, MD, FACS as medical directors in Des Moines Iowa. Board Certified Oculofacial Plastic Surgeons Paul Phelps, MD, FACS and Anna Carolina Victoria MD, FACS serve as medical directors in Chicago and Miami, respectively. Thrive Health IV is also launching a new research division and operating clinical trials at all sites, propelling Thrive Health IV to the forefront of all potential therapies for auto-immune thyroid related eye disease and other rare ophthalmic conditions. Additional Thrive Health IV locations with research and clinical trial operations are set to open in two new states in three additional markets as a next phase before 2024.
Tepezza, already proven to reduce above 90% on average of the proptosis in patients with long-standing disease, was recently confirmed to be effective in the treatment of thyroid eye disease of any duration or activity level for all adults extending the opportunities for treatment. Thrive Health IV centers of excellence, also offers ongoing patient care management that includes monitoring blood sugar and complimentary audiology testing. The Thrive Health IV concept has the unique ability to navigate healthcare systems and benefit networks while streamlining all medical team communications at the highest level in concierge care, patient centric experience and positive outcome.
About Thrive Health IV: Thrive Health IV centers of excellence are the first and only world-class treatment centers focusing on unique, cutting edge treatments and elevated patient centric care for rare and specifically rare ophthalmic diseases. Founded to serve a population of millions suffering with Thyroid Eye Disease and a unique focus on the new category of biologics, they offer the very best patient experience, safety and treatment options. Thrive Health IV offers expert care and optimized outcomes with a synergistic network of multi-disciplinary practitioners. Key opinion leaders in the field, their highly-specialized patient centric approach is home to groundbreaking pharmacological trials including teprotumumab [Tepezza]. Thrive Health IV has 4 centers throughout Southern California, a New York City flagship and most recently Chicago, Illinois, Miami, Florida and Des Moines Iowa with plans for additional openings throughout 2023-2024.
New partner renovates clinic and adds new state-of-the-art equipment for superior patient care.
MELVILLE, N.Y., Sept. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Professional Physical Therapy, a leading provider of outpatient physical therapy and rehabilitation services throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, announces they entered a strategic partnership with Steven Shevory, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT in their Plymouth MA location. After being with Professional for over six years, Steven became part of Professional’s strategic partnership program that provides a unique affiliation solution to clinicians and leaders who are vested in ownership and operations. The collaboration represents a leadership opportunity for Steven and fostered clinic updates to enhance the therapist-patient experience.
The new Clinical Director Partner, Steven Shevory, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT is excited to continue to serve the Plymouth community with the highest quality of care and adds. “I am looking forward to teaming up with Professional Physical Therapy. Over the past 6 years, I have really enjoyed my time here. It is great to work with a company that puts a real emphasis on education, patient outcomes and a great working environment with awesome coworkers.”
Since Steven partnered with Professional, the clinic has been renovated with a fresh new look, including new adjustable treatment tables, a state-of-the art pulley system to help patients improve joint flexibility and range of motion during recovery, along with a few new cardio treadmill machines.
Shevory completed his doctorate in Physical Therapy at Boston University. He has extensive experience working with patients of all ages. His specialty services, available at the Plymouth clinic include:
Additionally, the Plymouth clinic:
Accepts most major insurance plans.
Offers convenient hours, including early mornings and late evenings.
Does not require a physician referral or prescription to start treatment.
Schedules each initial evaluation quickly, sometime the same or next day.
Provides ongoing patient education on diagnosis, treatment plans and prescribed home-exercise programs.
Professional Physical Therapy currently operates widely across five of the Northeast states. For more information and a list of all Professional Physical Therapy locations and services, please visit http://www.professionalpt.com.
About Professional Physical Therapy Professional Physical Therapy was founded in 1999 and is an industry leader, providing private outpatient physical and hand therapy services throughout the Northeast. Our clinical team is comprised of multi-specialty Physical, Hand and Occupational Therapists who can treat a wide variety of orthopedic injuries and conditions with excellence. Today, Professional has grown to include over 190 facilities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
Approximately 80% of rare diseases are estimated to have a genetic origin.(4) Dysmorphology is a clinical genetics discipline that studies and interprets patterns of human growth and structural defects, encompassing malformation, disruption, deformation, and dysplasia.(5) “Phenotype” pertains to the observable physical properties of an organism, including its appearance, development, and behavior.(6) AI can analyze and interpret this visible data (e.g., from photos or images) to quickly detect physical markers that may indicate the pathology of certain rare diseases.
Around 40% of rare diseases show craniofacial changes aiding early diagnosis, such as in the eyebrows, nose, and cheeks. Previously, visual evaluation and basic measurements were used, but now AI can provide even more objective methods. However, AI algorithms mostly rely on European and North American databases, overlooking global diversity.(7)
An advanced AI system, such as “GestaltMatcher,” can utilize and link facial traits and features with clinical symptoms and genetic data, serving as a starting point for accurate diagnoses with high precision. It requires fewer patients for feature matching, a significant advantage for ultra-rare diseases with limited cases worldwide. Doctors will soon be able to use AI on smartphones for differential diagnoses, complementing their expertise.(8)
AI/ML algorithms efficiently analyze genetic datasets, swiftly identifying disease-causing variants without requiring time-consuming manual interpretation. By incorporating diverse data sources and human genomic expertise, these AI systems learn to predict candidate variants for undiagnosed genetic disorders, providing valuable insights to genetics and precision medicine researchers. This revolutionary approach enables experts to make rapid, precise, and groundbreaking diagnoses, not only of known disease-causing variants but also aid in the discovery of novel causal variants, ultimately improving patient outcomes.(9)
Genomic studies have predominantly utilized samples from people of European ancestry, neglecting the opportunity to learn from larger and more genetically diverse populations, particularly in Asia, which comprises 59.5% of the world’s population. This exclusion impedes the equitable advancement of genomic medicine, leading to persistent uncertainty concerning the genetic basis and epidemiology of diseases across various populations and disparities in drug reactions, treatment outcomes, and overall health. Similarly, in immunogenomics research, a lack of diversity hinders the discovery of novel genetic traits associated with immune system phenotypes, both common and distinct across populations. The underrepresentation of non-Caucasian populations from genomics research, understanding how pathogens have applied selective pressures on immune-related genes in diverse environments, and the subsequent manifestation of infectious diseases remains incomplete.(10)
Dr. Rajasimha urges, “So much has already been accomplished with AI advancements and innovation. Intelligent technologies can cast a wider net for more diverse patient recruitment and facilitate the completion of global clinical trials. Inherent biases can be removed through better AI training with more inclusive and heterogeneous datasets. It’s worrisome that we are training far too many AI and ML models for rare disease research with biased datasets from only 10% of the world’s population residing in the global north, to begin with. Awareness plays a pivotal role in this, and all members along the research continuum share the responsibility to promote cross-cultural collaboration to help ensure the inclusion of all patients with rare and common diseases representative of all humans globally.”
The IndoUSrare Corporate Alliance unites biopharmaceutical, diagnostics, medical devices, CROs, and other life science companies to advance orphan product development. Their mission is to collaborate to address common challenges impacting the industry in the pre-competitive space to educate, empower, and advocate for rare disease patients in the United States, India, and globally. By fostering collaboration, global diversity, and pooling resources, the alliance aims to accelerate diagnostics and therapies and bridge critical gaps in affordable research and development through cross-border partnerships.
Join the conversation at the “Digitization of Rare Diseases” session at the upcoming Indo US Bridging RARE Summit 2023. Register Now! October 29–30, 2023.
On the evening of Sunday, October 29th, the summit will honor eminent leaders for fostering cross-border collaborations in rare diseases between the US and India at a Gala dinner at the Arlington, VA, campus of George Mason University.
About IndoUSrare
IndoUSrare is a humanitarian nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity organization based in the United States. Founder and Executive Chairman Dr. Harsha Rajasimha, who lost a child to a rare disease in 2012, has been a rare disease advocate for more than 10 years. To address the unmet needs of diverse patients with rare diseases globally, the leadership team comprised of experienced professionals from research, advocacy, regulatory, and drug development seeks to build cross-border collaborations connecting stakeholders of rare diseases in low- and middle-income regions such as India, with their counterparts and clinical researchers in the United States to improve the diversity of clinical trial participants, accelerate research and development, and improve equitable access to life-saving therapies to diverse populations of rare disease patients. Visit https://indousrare.org.
References:‥
1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2023, March 21). Rare disease day at NIH 2023: Putting hope into action. National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. ncats.nih.gov/pubs/features/rare-disease-day-at-NIH-2023-putting-hope-into-action#:~:text=Rare%20diseases%20are%20individually%20rare,nearly%20400%20million%20people%20worldwide. 2. Commissioner, O. of the. (n.d.). Rare diseases at FDA. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. fda.gov/patients/rare-diseases-fda. 3. Visibelli, A., Roncaglia, B., Spiga, O., Santucci, A. (2023, March 13). The impact of Artificial Intelligence in the Odyssey of rare diseases. MDPI. mdpi.com/2227-9059/11/3/887. 4. Frederiksen, S. D., Avramovi;#263;, V., Maroilley, T., Lehman, A., Arbour, L., Tarailo-Graovac, M. (2022, February 22). Rare disorders have many faces: In silico characterization of rare disorder Spectrum – Orphanet Journal of rare diseases. BioMed Central. ojrd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13023-022-02217-9#:~:text=Approximately%2080%25%20of%20rare%20diseases,to%20have%20a%20genetic%20origin. 5. Hunter, A. G. W. (2002, August 20). Medical genetics: 2. the diagnostic approach to the child with dysmorphic signs. CMAJ‥: Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC117854/#:~:text=The%20term%20dysmorphic%20is%20derived,human%20growth%20and%20structural%20defects. 6. Nature Publishing Group. (n.d.). Nature news. nature.com/scitable/definition/phenotype-phenotypes-35/#:~:text=The%20term%20%22phenotype%22%20refers%20to,environmental%20influences%20upon%20these%20genes. 7. Henderson, R. by E. (2023, May 11). AI algorithms for rare disease diagnosis ignore the genetic, morphological diversity of humans. News. news-medical.net/news/20230510/AI-algorithms-for-rare-disease-diagnosis-ignore-the-genetic-morphological-diversity-of-humans.aspx. 8. Shawn, A. (2022, February 11). Researchers use artificial intelligence to detect rare diseases even more accurately – sciencedaily. Verve times. vervetimes.com/researchers-use-artificial-intelligence-to-detect-rare-diseases-even-more-accurately-sciencedaily/. 9. Contributor, E. (2022, December 13). Artificial Intelligence: A new era in rare genetic disease diagnosis. Labiotech.eu. labiotech.eu/opinion/rare-disease-diagnosis-ai/. 10. Peng, K., Safonova, Y., Shugay, M., Popejoy, A. B., Rodriguez, O. L., Breden, F., Brodin, P., Burkhardt, A. M., Bustamante, C., Cao-Lormeau, V.-M., Corcoran, M. M., Duffy, D., Fuentes-Guajardo, M., Fujita, R., Greiff, V., Jönsson, V. D., Liu, X., Quintana-Murci, L., Rossetti, M., … Mangul, S. (2021, May 17). Diversity in immunogenomics: The value and the Challenge. Nature News. nature.com/articles/s41592-021-01169-5.
Karen owns the business and didn’t have to look far for an operations manager; that will be her husband, Pete. The Warner’s were exploring new business opportunities and after searching for something that aligned with their values, they found Caring Transitions. As a former registered nurse and then vice president in pharmaceutical sales, Karen was searching for something that could tie in her previous career experience.
“I worked at the bedside for over twenty years taking care of patients, so I have a tremendous amount of empathy for people and after working on the business side, I knew I needed to do more with helping people. Pete and I both knew that we wanted to do something different that would allow us to utilize our varied background in health care and sales and then apply that experience and passion to helping people, so owning our own Caring Transitions seemed like a perfect fit”.
Caring Transitions of Guilford will serve Guilford, Branford, East Haven, New Haven, North Haven, North Branford, North Guilford, and Wellington. Caring Transitions currently has more than 280 franchise locations serving families across the country. Karen hopes that their new location can serve as a one-stop-shop for those going through what can be a difficult change in life.
“In our area there’s really not a company that can offer the concierge service we can,” Karen admitted. “We can do senior relocation, downsizing, decluttering, organizing and estate sales. I’m hoping we can give a service where clients can pick and choose and at the same time interact with people who are empathetic to their needs.”
“We’re thrilled to have Karen and Pete in the Caring Transition family and to be able to offer our compassionate care along the shoreline in Connecticut,” said Ray Fabik, President of Caring Transitions. “The Warners are passionate about the people they’ll be helping and the community can be assured they are in good hands with the experience and level of professionalism both Karen and Pete offer.”
Caring Transitions, founded in 2006, is the most trusted and experienced national franchise specializing in senior relocation and transition services. With more than 280 locations throughout the United States, all owned and operated by Certified Relocation and Transition Specialists, Caring Transitions provides clients with supportive moves, auctions, rightsizing, and transitions. This includes expert advice plus a well-executed transition plan beginning with the initial sorting of personal belongings through packing, unpacking, resettling, and selling of items to the final clearing and cleaning of the property. For more information, visit http://www.caringtransitions.com or visit us on Facebook.
All of the events will come together for a three-hour livestream celebration on Facebook@FSHDSociety on Saturday, September 23, 8:30-11:30am Central. “The livestream celebration is an important aspect of the event. As FSHD is a rare disease, many who are impacted often feel isolated and alone,” says Beth Johnson, chief community engagement officer with the FSHD Society. “When we come together for this live event on Facebook, those miles between us fade away and people feel connected to something so much larger than the event happening right in front of them.”
Back as the National Ambassador for the Walk & Roll is actor, producer, and writer, Max Adler. Adler is best known for his role in the hit series Glee. He has been seen more recently in such films as The Trial of the Chicago Seven, as well as on television shows such as NCIS and Criminal Minds. For Adler, his participation is deeply personal. “I watched my mom and grandma struggle with this disease, and I don’t want that to happen to anyone, anywhere, ever again,” said Adler.
“FSHD is relentless. It’s a progressive disease that robs you of your smile, your ability to walk or perform simple, every-day tasks that most people take for granted,” said Johnston. “This disease stops for no one, and neither will we.”
This year’s Walk & Roll aims to raise $1 million dollars to support research into treatments and a cure, as well as a wide variety of patient support and education services. The Lai Family has pledged to match all donations up to a total of $250,000. Expenses for the event are offset by national sponsors, Optum, Fulcrum Therapeutics, and Avidity Biosciences, as well as local community sponsors.
Supporters across North America can register for and donate to the FSHD Society’s Walk & Roll event by visiting FSHDSociety.org/Walk-Roll. Everyone is invited to tune in to the FSHD Society Walk & Roll Facebook Live Celebration on September 23rd. Event participants from coast to coast will call in and there will be a special appearance by Max Adler.
About the FSHD Society
The FSHD Society is the world’s largest research-focused patient advocacy organization for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), one of the most prevalent forms of MD. Over the past 32 years, the organization has catalyzed major advancements and worked to accelerate the development of treatments and a cure to end the pain, disability, and suffering endured by one million people worldwide who live with FSHD. The FSHD Society has transformed the landscape for FSHD research and is committed to making sure that no one faces this disease alone.
The Society offers a community of support, news, and information through its website at https://www.fshsociety.org.
