ThriveRx Receives Limited Distribution Rights to Gattex (Teduglutide [rDNA origin]) for Injection for the Treatment of Short Bowel Syndrome in Adults

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ThriveRx, a national specialty pharmacy and infusion services provider, has received limited distribution rights to Gattex® (Teduglutide [rDNA origin]) for Injection, for subcutaneous use, from NPS Pharmaceuticals. Gattex was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 21, 2012 as a treatment for adults with SBS who are dependent on parenteral support.

“Gattex could be a valuable treatment option for short bowel patients and their physicians”

Gattex is NPS’s proprietary analog of a naturally occurring peptide involved in the rehabilitation of the intestinal lining. Phase 3 study results were recently published in the journal Gastroenterology showing Gattex to be effective and well-tolerated in reducing parenteral support volume and number of infusion days in short bowel syndrome-intestinal failure patients.

ThriveRx, a division of BioRx, LLC, specializes in the provision of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) therapy to patients with a variety of nutritional and digestive disorders, including short bowel syndrome. In addition to providing nationwide pharmacy dispensing, ThriveRx will provide coordinated clinical services to support the use of Gattex in reducing dependence on parenteral nutrition.

“Gattex could be a valuable treatment option for short bowel patients and their physicians,” said Deb Pfister, Program Director for ThriveRx. “Intestinal rehabilitation has been our focus since the beginning, so we are truly excited to incorporate Gattex where it can help reduce or in some cases eliminate patients’ dependence on parenteral support.”

As a designated provider, ThriveRx will dispense Gattex in combination with parenteral nutrition therapy or, in some cases, by itself to SBS patients who may be receiving HPN therapy from another infusion services provider. The company has already begun taking Gattex referrals ahead of the product’s commercial release, expected early in 2013.

About Short Bowel Syndrome

SBS is a condition that generally occurs due to the removal of a large segment of the small intestine during surgery (“resection”). SBS results when the remaining part of the small intestine cannot absorb enough nutrients and fluids from food to maintain good health. SBS can also be caused by disease or injury that prevents the small intestine from functioning properly despite a normal length.

About ThriveRx

ThriveRx, a division of BioRx, LLC, specializes in highly customized care for individuals with chronic nutritional deficiencies who require intravenous nutrition and tube feeding. Its clinical staff reaches patients and physicians in 48 states. BioRx is one of the nation’s fastest growing providers of specialty biological medications, with facilities in Ohio, Massachusetts, Iowa, Minnesota, Arizona and California. To learn more about ThriveRx, visit www.thriverx.net.