GenesisCare

JIANGSU, China, April 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ractigen Therapeutics, a pioneer in small activating RNA (saRNA) therapeutics, achieved a major milestone today with the first patient dosed in its First-in-human phase I clinical trial for RAG-01 conducted in collaboration with GenesisCare, Australia's leading provider of cancer care services. This marks a significant advancement in the fight against non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). RAG-01 is a groundbreaking saRNA medication designed to combat bladder cancer by targeting and activating the p21 tumor suppressor gene in NMIBC. The trial is an open-label, multi-center study designed to assess RAG-01's safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and preliminary efficacy in NMIBC patients who have failed Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy. Preclinical data indicates that RAG-01 effectively inhibits bladder cancer tumor growth in animal models and has shown a favorable safety profile. Dr. Long-Cheng Li, Founder and CEO of Ractigen Therapeutics, stated, "The successful administration of RAG-01 to the first patient underscores Ractigen's robust clinical translation capabilities, signifying an important milestone in our quest to develop innovative treatments for NMIBC patients and to prove the effectiveness of the saRNA platform in real-world applications." About RAG-01: RAG-01 stands as a pioneering saRNA candidate from Ractigen Therapeutics, engineered to target and activate the tumor suppressor gene p21 via the RNAa mechanism which was discovered by the founding team of Ractigen Therapeutics. The drug, delivered through intravesical instillation using Ractigen's proprietary LiCOTM delivery technology, has shown significant tumor suppression in mouse orthotopic bladder cancer models. Its development marks a significant stride in RNAa based therapies, addressing the unmet needs of NMIBC patients. About NMIBC: NMIBC represents 50-80% of all bladder cancer cases. Despite standard treatments like transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) followed by intravesical BCG or chemotherapy, recurrence rates remain high, estimated at 50-70% within the first five years. RAG-01's development is a significant step towards addressing this substantial unmet need in bladder cancer therapy. About LiCOTM: LiCOTM, Ractigen's proprietary extra-hepatic delivery system, enables the delivery of duplex RNA into a variety of tissues and organs which are harf to reach by conventional approach. It supports multiple administration routes, including subcutaneous, intravenous, intravesical, and intravitreal, providing profound and durable activity. Its versatility and effectiveness have been validated in many preclinical studies, marking it as a cornerstone in Ractigen's therapeutic arsenal. About RNAa: Pioneered by Dr. Long-Cheng Li and his team, RNAa is a clinically validated platform technology. It employs saRNA to target gene regulatory domains, activating gene expression and restoring therapeutic protein levels. This technology has vast potential for developing therapeutic drugs across various diseases, especially where traditional methods fall short, including cancer, genetic disorders, chronic diseases, and metabolic and cerebrovascular disorders. About Ractigen Therapeutics: Ractigen Therapeutics is at the forefront of developing saRNA drugs, utilizing the RNAa mechanism to up-regulate endogenous gene expression. This innovative approach involves saRNA targeting specific genes to enhance transcription, thereby restoring normal protein functions. Ractigen's cutting-edge technology is pivotal in treating diseases unaddressable by conventional methods, such as those resulting from epigenetic silencing or gene downregulation. Ractigen Therapeutics SOURCE Ractigen Therapeutics

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions are in no short supply as providers, retailers, health tech companies and other industry players look to expand their businesses and gain a competitive edge. Healthcare mergers and acquisitions are in no short supply as providers, health tech companies, retailers and other industry players look to expand their businesses and gain a competitive edge. Here’s a roundup of new deals that were revealed, closed, rumored or called off during the month of March. Providers Aspirus Health and St. Luke’s Duluth have closed their merger. The new nonprofit is a 19-hospital entity with 130 outpatient locations spread across Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is maintaining Aspirus’ brand name. Tenet Healthcare wrapped up a pair of California hospital divestitures in the final week of March. The first was for four hospitals and related outpatient sites in Southern California, for which UCI Health paid $975 million. The second involved two central California hospitals and their related locations, which Adventist Health picked up for $550 million. Kaiser Permanente's value-based care platform, Risant Health, closed its acquisition of Geisinger Health on March 31. The deal is the first part of Kaiser's national expansion plan, which will involve another "four to five" regional health system acquisitions within the next half decade. Ascension has a definitive agreement in place to offload three northern Michigan hospitals and other facilities to MyMichigan Health. The deal is still subject to regulatory and other third-party approvals but is expected to close this summer. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Steward Health Care is planning to sell off its physician group to UnitedHealth Group’s Optum in order to right its struggling finances. A sale price was not disclosed. Massachusetts’ Health Policy Commission is currently reviewing the deal, which could close during the second quarter. Prominent antitrust lawmakers have already expressed concerns about Optum’s involvement. Optum’s Oregon division has been granted emergency regulatory approval to acquire Corvallis Clinic. Optum was permitted to bypass state review in order to preserve the provider’s financial solvency, which was strained due to service interruptions at Optum’s sister business, Change Healthcare. UCLA Health acquired a 260-bed hospital and its related assets from HCA Healthcare. UCLA said it has “retained the vast majority of healthcare professionals and support staff” that previously worked at the hospital. West Virginia University Health System has signed a letter of intent to acquire Weirton Medical Center, a 238-bed facility with more than 50 ancillary locations around West Virginia, eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The organizations are targeting a Jan. 1, 2025 close. Walgreens-owned VillageMD sold 11 primary care clinics in Rhode Island to Boston-based Arches Medical Partners for an undisclosed sum. Walgreens has recently exited 140 locations and in the midst of shuttering about 100 more. Pennsylvania Mountains Care Network and Armstrong County Memorial Hospital have signed a definitive agreement for the hospital to join the network. Mayo Clinic reportedly sold its 25% stake in Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, a 741-bed hospital in the United Arab Emirates, to Abu Dhabi Health Services Co., for $150 million. Mayo Clinic had initially invested $50 million of cash and other nonmaterial assets. Sutter Health acquired five California radiation oncology centers from GenesisCare for an undisclosed sum. Payers Elevance Health has a deal in place to acquire Kroger Specialty Pharmacy sometime in the back half of 2024. Financial terms of the purchase, which requires regulatory approvals, were not disclosed. Elevance said it intends to add the grocery chain’s business unit to CarelonRx, which houses its pharmacy benefit management services. Elevance Health also closed a previously announced deal to acquire Paragon Healthcare, a Plano, Texas-based company specializing in infusible and injectable drug therapies. Paragon patients will receive medical and pharmacy benefits from Elevance Health subsidiaries and operate within CarelonRx, while Elevance aims to expand the group’s geographical footprint. Financial terms were not disclosed. UnitedHealth Group’s plan to acquire home health provider Amedisys for $3.7 billion cash is under investigation by the Oregon Health Authority. The review will be completed within 180 days of the receipt of transaction forms, which were confirmed in December. Tech GTCR, a private equity firm, has sold RevSpring, a patient engagement and payment technology company, to fellow private equity firm Frazier Healthcare Partners as well as New Enterprise Associates, 22C Capital and RevSpring’s leadership team. Financial terms were not disclosed, though Frazier said it plans to grow the end-to-end platform beyond its current scale of $8 billion in annually processed payments. WebMD, an online healthcare information provider, acquired the operating assets of Healthwise to bolster its patient and member engagement tools. The pickups will be folded into WebMD Ignite, its tech solutions brand. Financial terms were not disclosed. New Mountain Capital’s negotiations with investor coalition RCP-ASC to buy out R1 RCM were put on ice after a special committee of independent directors formed by the revenue cycle management company ordered them to cease discussions, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Innovaccer, a healthcare data and AI company, acquired Pharmacy Quality Solutions, a pharmacy-payer performance technology company, for an undisclosed sum. Innovaccer said the deal supports its goal of accelerating value-based care and extends its reach among community pharmacies. Terms were not disclosed. QuickMD, a telemedicine addiction treatment provider, acquired addiction treatment clinic Project Recover for an undisclosed sum. The company said its purchase will expand its reach and impact. Syllable Corporation, a process automation vendor, purchased EHR analysis company Actium Health for an undisclosed sum. With Actium under its wing, Syllable said it will be able to flesh out its automation offerings for health systems. Sagility acquired healthcare call center automation tech startup BirchAI for an undisclosed sum. Carenet Health, a patient engagement and navigation company, acquired all assets of population health management technology company Health Dialog from Rite Aid. Terms were not disclosed. Healthy Together, a SaaS vendor for government programs, acquired predictive insights platform Kinsa Health for an undisclosed sum. Mahana Therapeutics, a digital chronic disease management program maker, acquired digital digestive health company Cara Care (HiDoc Technologies GmbH) to accelerate its market entry in Europe, where it says reimbursement for the offerings outpaces that of the U.S. Financial terms were not disclosed. Miscellaneous Healthpeak Properties and Physicians Realty Trust, both healthcare real estate companies, closed their previously announced $21 billion merger. The new company operates under the name Healthpeak Properties and is trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Sila Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust, acquired four micro-hospitals and a freestanding emergency department for $85.5 million. The facilities are located in Arizona and Texas and are leased by Tenet Healthcare.

FORT MYERS, Fla.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--GenesisCare, a leading oncology and multispecialty network, has announced the successful completion of its reorganization process and emergence on February 16 from Chapter 11 protection. During this restructuring, GenesisCare has achieved the key goals it set out at the beginning of this process, including separating its U.S. business from its businesses in the rest of the world and right-sizing its balance sheet. As part of its reorganization, GenesisCare will operate as four distinct businesses: a U.S. business, a business in Australia, one in the U.K., and one in Spain. Each business will have its own funding and governance structures, including a separate Board of Directors, and will be responsible for its own strategy, business priorities, and performance. GenesisCare U.S. has secured new investment in its business going forward. The U.S. business will independently serve patients in Florida and North Carolina, offering services in radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgery, urology, diagnostics, and ENT. Operational improvements were also implemented throughout the organization to enhance efficiency and reduce costs, ensuring a more competitive market position. “Today marks an exciting milestone establishing GenesisCare U.S. as a stronger and more resilient organization that will continue to serve our communities with excellent patient care for a long time,” said Shaden Marzouk, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, GenesisCare U.S. “Thanks to the efforts of our physicians and staff, we are on solid financial and operational footing that will help us play a vital role in the lives of patients. We remain focused on delivering exceptional care and value as an industry leader in cancer, surgical and urological care.” "We look forward to continuing our long-standing commitment of providing excellent healthcare to the communities we serve,” said Constantine Mantz, MD, Chief Policy Officer, GenesisCare U.S. “Our patients will continue to benefit from our organization's integration and expertise in treating cancer and other challenging medical conditions." Read the global GenesisCare press release here. About GenesisCare U.S. An integrated oncology and multispecialty physician network in Florida and North Carolina providing care for more than 120,000 patients annually, GenesisCare U.S. offers community-based cancer care and other services at convenient locations. The company’s purpose is to redefine the care experience by improving patient outcomes, access, and care delivery. With advanced technology and innovative treatment options, skilled physicians and support staff offer comprehensive and coordinated care in radiation oncology, medical oncology, hematology, urology, diagnostics, ENT, and surgical oncology. For more information, visit genesiscare.com/us .