Breakthrough Oncology Accelerator to target escalating cost of cancer care
October 3, 2018, Morristown, NJ – Atlantic Health System, an integrated health care delivery system, today announced a partnership with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, and Origin Commercial Ventures to create a new platform to deliver economically viable immunotherapies and other breakthrough cancer treatments to the region through expedited access and novel payment options.
AtlantiCast Medical Minute – Breakthrough Oncology Accelerator
The Breakthrough Oncology Accelerator flagship platform at Atlantic Health will create a model to ultimately enable health systems around the country to provide faster access and better patient outcomes by enabling clinicians and researchers to share their knowledge and provide more options for patients. Through the partnership, Atlantic Health System, TGen and Origin will leverage their proprietary platforms, expertise and collaborations to identify and deploy those resources that best help oncologists meet the needs of their patients.
Atlantic Health is the first health system to be selected by TGen and Origin to create this new platform.
“With cancer ranking as the second leading cause of death in New Jersey, it’s vitally important to have partnerships like this which expand the availability of ‘affordable innovation’ to the residents of New Jersey,” said New Jersey Department of Health Deputy Commissioner Deborah Hartel at today’s gathering of public officials, physician researchers and hospital and industry leadership. “Through such partnerships and Phase 1 research initiatives, patients will lead longer lives and enjoy an enhanced quality of life and we’re happy to see Morristown Medical Center and its partners bring these benefits to our residents.”
New drug therapies, including immunotherapies — a treatment method that supercharges the body’s own immune system to fight cancer — have revolutionized cancer treatment in the US. These emerging therapies will become first line treatments for many cancers including lung cancer, melanoma and leukemia over the next five years, extending and enhancing the quality of life for cancer patients.
“Cancer care is at its most promising point in the last 25 years. Yet, the industry is witnessing what happens when the science becomes so promising: it outstrips our financial and operational ability to effectively implement these advances in the clinical setting,” said Eric Whitman, MD, Medical Director of Atlantic Health System Cancer Care. “That is simply not an acceptable option for our patients, or the patients around the country who can benefit from these new treatments and technologies.”
The cost and complexity of these new treatments force tremendous strain on health systems and payers, placing these therapies in the ultra-high cost drug category. This results in a growing number of patients unable to access these potentially life-saving treatments.
“There are significant financial barriers to breakthrough cancer care. This lack of access is one of the fundamental problems facing US healthcare today,” said Cosmo Smith, Origin’s Managing Partner.
More than 200,000 people in the US will receive a lung cancer diagnosis next year; many will be eligible for promising new therapies that can cost between $100,000 and $200,000 per treatment. As a result, many individuals and small private plans will struggle to pay for these novel therapies.
“We are very excited to be working with Atlantic Health to overcome a challenge that is so essential to the future of cancer care. Our partnership with Atlantic Health is a testament to their commitment to providing the highest quality care to the communities they serve. Together, we are creating a robust platform designed to meet the changing demands of today’s healthcare environment,” said TGen Chief Operating Officer Tess Burleson.
About TGen
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is affiliated with City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and cancer and diabetes treatment center: www.cityofhope.org. This precision medicine affiliation enables both institutes to complement each other in research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a significant clinical setting to advance scientific discoveries made by TGen. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases, through cutting edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. Learn more about TGen; follow TGen on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @TGen.
About Origin
Origin is a leader in building strategies that enable science entrepreneurs and their research institutes to make the greatest impact on patient lives with their discoveries. It seeks to solve the challenges in finding and treating complex disease by developing new products and new markets which combine breakthroughs in medicine, technology and finance. For more than two decades, Origin has partnered with universities and research institutes to harness the collective power of their intellectual property, add to their talent base and help them maximize the impact and value potential of their assets.
About Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System, headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, is a leading non-profit health care delivery system in New Jersey. Our network includes Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ; Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ; Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ; Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ; Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ; and Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, as well as Atlantic Rehabilitation, and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. It also includes its subsidiary, Atlantic Ambulance Corporation. Atlantic Health System comprises 1,747 licensed beds, more than 14,000 employees and more than 4,000 physicians. Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University; is part of Atlantic Accountable Care Organization, one of the largest ACOs in the nation, and is a member of AllSpire Health Partners.