United HealthCare Services, Inc.

“The incident is under active investigation,” a Bayer spokesperson told Fierce Pharma, adding that the company is “cooperating fully with the investigation” and appreciates the quick work of local law enforcement on the case. Following a fire at a Bayer executive’s New Jersey home earlier this month, at least eight agencies—including the Federal Bureau of Investigation—are now looking into the blaze as a possible arson.The fire originally broke out around 7:30 a.m. on March 4 at an “occupied residence” in the New Jersey borough of Madison, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office told multiple news outlets this week. The local fire department was able to quickly put out the fire, with minimal damage to the building and no injuries to the home’s occupants, NBC News wrote on Thursday.While the prosecutor’s office declined to identify the residents of the home where the fire occurred, Bayer confirmed with Fierce Pharma that “[a]n incident occurred at the private home of one of Bayer’s U.S. executives,” without naming the person or their role.The executive and their family are “safe and unharmed,” and the safety and security of Bayer employees is of “utmost importance” to the company, a Bayer spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Friday.“The incident is under active investigation,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company is “cooperating fully with the investigation” and appreciates the quick work of local law enforcement on the case.According to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, the case is now considered an active and ongoing arson investigation by the office’s arson and environmental crimes unit, the Madison Police, the FBI, and several other agencies, NBC, CNN and ABC News reported this week.No arrests have been made in connection with the investigation, ABC noted in its reporting. While details on what exactly went down at the Bayer executive’s Madison home are slim, the incident once again raises safety concerns for biopharma and healthcare leaders that were thrust into the spotlight following the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4.In the aftermath of the killing—which has been widely characterized as a statement criticizing the U.S. healthcare and insurance industries—many people commiserated online about their negative healthcare experiences rather than sympathizing with Thompson, with some going so far as to celebrate or joke about the CEO’s death.Shortly after the killing, 26-year-old Maryland native Luigi Mangione was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, plus two counts of second-degree murder, in connection with his alleged role in the attack.Given the high-profile nature of Thompson’s death and the vitriolic public response, many companies in healthcare and beyond are taking a second look at their safety and security protocols, Glen Kucera, president of enhanced protection services at the global security firm Allied Universal, told Fierce Healthcare in an interview shortly after the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder last year.Among several large U.S. drugmakers, security—especially for CEOs—has certainly factored into their executive payment plans. Last year, Moderna shelled out nearly $1 million in “security costs” for its CEO Stéphane Bancel while Johnson & Johnson allotted $102,779 to provide “personal and home security services” for its helmsman, Joaquin Duato.

GEM HEALTH, a virtual sleep care company, has raised $7 million in Series A funding, which will help the startup expand its sleep services, it announced on Tuesday. Minneapolis, Minnesota-based GEM HEALTH treats patients in all 50 states and is in network with multiple health plans, including UnitedHealthcare, MultiPlan, Aetna and Surest. The company offers virtual visits, at-home testing, diagnosis, prescribing, durable medical equipment, coaching and patient monitoring. Its first product is called GEM SLEEP and supports people with obstructive sleep apnea. The Series A round was co-led by HealthTrend Capital and LFE Capital and included participation from existing investors Base10 Partners and Mairs & Power Venture Capital. In total, the startup has raised about $13 million. presented by Artificial Intelligence What Keeps Healthcare CIOs Up at Night: Balancing Technology Investments with Consumer Expectations When it comes to managing inbound phone calls, underperformance has devastating cost implications. By Stephanie Baum “GEM HEALTH is transforming sleep care with an accessible, outcomes-driven virtual solution that improves lives and reduces healthcare costs,” said TJ Nahigian, co-founder and managing partner of Base10 Partners, in a statement. “We’re proud to support their mission to make high-quality sleep care more convenient and affordable nationwide.” With the financing, the company will invest in growing its reach with patients and adding talent in key areas, according to Brian Sauer, founder and CEO of GEM HEALTH. In addition, the funding will help the startup expand into supporting new conditions and markets. The company’s support is needed because “conditions that require significant coordination across multiple services have been less represented in virtual care developments,” Sauer argued. He gave the example of obstructive sleep apnea. In order to get treated for this, patients have to go to a sleep specialist, a separate sleep lab, back to the specialist, and then to a provider for durable medical equipment. He noted that obstructive sleep apnea is very common, but 80% of those with the condition are undiagnosed. “This is due in large part to the convoluted path that patients have historically been required to travel to get care,” he said in an email. “GEM connected each of these steps into one streamlined experience that can be done from home. The patient can go through each step on their own time and terms, all with GEM. Because of that, we can get patients on treatment in weeks rather than months. We’ve also built out the follow-up support so that people who start treatment stay on it.” Sponsored Post Tackling Messy Provider Data with an NPI-Forward Approach Mike Wirth of ProviderTrust shares insights about the company in this interview at the ViVE 2025 conference in Nashville last month. By ProviderTrust and MedCity News When asked about the company’s ultimate goals, Sauer said he hopes to disrupt traditional models and create a network of offerings that “work seamlessly together.” GEM HEALTH isn’t the only health tech company trying to advance sleep care. Others include Oura and Dreem Health. Picture: Feodora Chiosea, Getty Images

Approximately five months after launch, the inclusion of neffy on these three additional formularies has expanded access to half of all patients and caregivers managing Type 1 allergic reactions, bringing the total number of formulary platforms covering neffy to 30 Feb. 20, 2025 -- ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRY), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to empowering at-risk patients and caregivers to better protect themselves from allergic reactions that could lead to anaphylaxis, announced today that Cigna Healthcare, Navitus Health Systems and OptumRx, through their Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) Emisar, have added neffy® (epinephrine nasal spray) to their National Formularies. “Millions of patients nationwide now have improved access to neffy through their commercial insurance, thanks to coverage from leading pharmaceutical benefit managers and health plans. neffy will also be available at the lowest branded copay for patients insured by OptumRx, Cigna Healthcare, and Navitus Health Systems - without the need for prior authorizations or restrictive step therapies,” said Richard Lowenthal, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of ARS Pharma. “As a result, more patients will qualify for the low copay price of $25 for neffy, when they apply the ARS Pharma copay assistance, and healthcare providers can prescribe it without the need for additional paperwork.” “This announcement also underscores the critical demand for a nasal spray epinephrine option within the severe allergy community and we remain committed to ensuring continued access for as many patients and caregivers as possible. While Emisar represents both OptumRx and UnitedHealthcare as their GPO at this time only OptumRx has agreed to the Emisar terms. ARS Pharma is working closely with UnitedHealthcare, as one of the country’s largest healthcare providers, to add neffy to their formulary as soon as possible,” said Lowenthal. The addition of neffy to these formularies improves coverage for the approximately 20 million people who have been diagnosed and treated for the more severe Type I allergic reactions that may lead to anaphylaxis and need epinephrine therapy to protect themselves in their daily lives. To assist patients in navigating coverage and affordability challenges, ARS Pharma offers a number of programs for patients and caregivers. For more information, visit www.neffy.com/savings. neffy 2 mg is for the treatment of Type I Allergic Reactions, including anaphylaxis, in adults and children who weigh ≥30 kg (66 lbs.). It is the first and only FDA-approved epinephrine nasal spray that provides a needle-free alternative to traditional injectable epinephrine. It’s simple and intuitive design enables rapid administration, helping patients and caregivers act quickly and confidently, and the small size is easy to carry. Additionally, neffy has a shelf-life of 30 months and temperature exclusions up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The supplemental NDA for neffy 1 mg, for children over four years of age who weigh 15 to 30 kg, has a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of March 6, 2025. Based on review timelines and subject to approval, product availability of neffy 1 mg is expected by the end of May 2025. ARS Pharma anticipates that by the epinephrine prescription renewal period, which occurs over the summer for many children in the United States, that school age children who meet the weight and age criteria will have access to neffy. neffy is an intranasal epinephrine product for patients with Type I allergic reactions including food, medications, and insect bites that could lead to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Type I allergic reactions are serious and potentially life-threatening events that can occur within minutes of exposure to an allergen and require immediate treatment with epinephrine, the only FDA-approved medication for these reactions. While epinephrine auto-injectors have been shown to be highly effective, there are well published limitations that result in many patients and caregivers delaying or not administering treatment in an emergency situation. These limitations include fear of the needle, lack of portability, needle-related safety concerns, lack of reliability, and complexity of the devices. There are approximately 40 million people in the United States who experience Type I allergic reactions. Of this group, over the last three years, approximately 20 million people have been diagnosed and treated for severe Type I allergic reactions that may lead to anaphylaxis, but (in 2023, for example) only 3.2 million filled their active epinephrine auto-injector prescription, and of those, only half consistently carry their prescribed auto-injector. Even if patients or caregivers carry an auto-injector, more than half either delay or do not administer the device when needed in an emergency. ARS Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to empowering at-risk patients and their caregivers to better protect patients from allergic reactions that could lead to anaphylaxis. The Company is commercializing neffy® 2 mg (trade name EURneffy® in the EU) (previously referred to as ARS-1), an epinephrine nasal spray indicated in the U.S. for emergency treatment of Type I allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in adult and pediatric patients who weigh 30 kg or greater, and in the EU for emergency treatment of allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) due to insect stings or bites, foods, medicinal products, and other allergens as well as idiopathic or exercise induced anaphylaxis in adults and children who weigh 30 kg or greater. For more information, visit www.ars-pharma.com. The content above comes from the network. if any infringement, please contact us to modify.