Harmonia Healthcare opens clinic for severe morning sickness care

Harmonia Healthcare, a new healthcare provider specializing in women's health, has inaugurated a clinic in New Jersey focused on treating hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). This severe condition affects up to nearly 11% of pregnant women, causing extreme nausea and vomiting that can lead to weight loss, dehydration, and hospitalization. Left untreated, HG can result in significant complications for both mothers and their babies.

The Harmonia clinic offers a range of evidence-based treatments including medication and vitamin infusions, electrolyte replacement plans, prescription management, diagnostic bloodwork, and telehealth services. A second clinic is slated to open in New York City later this year. Importantly, the clinic does not require referrals, making it more accessible for patients.

Marlena Fejzo, Ph.D., Harmonia’s Chief Scientific Officer, is a prominent women’s health researcher who has personally experienced HG. She has significantly contributed to the understanding of the condition through her discovery of the hormone GDF15, which is closely linked to HG. Fejzo’s groundbreaking work aims to revolutionize prognostics, prevention, and treatment of HG. She was recognized as one of the Fiercest Women in Life Sciences in 2023.

Fejzo emphasizes the need to overhaul the broken care model in women's health. The current treatment for HG in emergency rooms typically involves administering fluids or antiemetic drugs before discharging patients, which is insufficient given the persistent nature of the condition. Fejzo highlights that 60% of women with HG require multiple hospital visits because they are often discharged without proper medication management. Misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis remains a significant issue, with many healthcare providers underestimating the severity of HG.

Fejzo shared that even ER doctors affiliated with prestigious institutions like Harvard sometimes discharge HG patients without prescriptions, believing that the medications might cause drowsiness, leading them to miss work. Such practices reflect a profound misunderstanding of HG and underscore the need for better education among healthcare providers.

Part of the hesitancy in treating HG aggressively stems from the historic thalidomide disaster, where a drug prescribed for nausea in pregnancy caused birth defects. This incident has led to a widespread reluctance to prescribe medications during pregnancy, compounded by the mistaken belief that HG is a psychological issue or will resolve on its own.

Harmonia aims to address these gaps by closely monitoring women on medication management and coordinating with other providers such as OB-GYNs, midwives, and doulas. The goal is to intervene early with more aggressive treatment to prevent the condition from worsening. Fejzo notes that the best medications for HG, often prescribed off-label, include Zofran, Phenergan, and Reglan. However, doctors typically start with doxylamine and pyridoxine, which are less effective.

The new clinic also plans to run clinical trials on potential new treatments. Fejzo is already advising NGM Bio, a company interested in testing its drug NGM120 for HG. While she doesn’t foresee significant challenges in patients getting their prescriptions filled, Harmonia providers will educate patients on how to navigate potential pharmacy pushbacks.

Elsewhere, Alabama’s Morning Sickness Clinic has demonstrated that a focused treatment model can significantly reduce ER visits and overall healthcare costs. Harmonia hopes to replicate and expand upon this success, eventually addressing other under-researched women’s health conditions. Although formal health system partnerships are not currently planned, the company aims for its clinics to become recognized local experts in treating these conditions. By the end of the year, Harmonia expects to start working with commercial and Medicaid insurance plans.