October 15, 2018 - Talking medical care to a new level in Croatia and Europe, OneOme, co-founded with Mayo Clinic, and St Catherine Specialty Hospital in Zagreb, announce a partnership to increase access to pharmacogenetic testing across Europe.
"Why Croatia?" asked the female journalist from Croatian national television.
The question was put to Paul Owen, President of OneOme, a company co-founded by Mayo Clinic, working to deliver the most comprehensive, cost-effective pharmacogenomic testing and tools for all providers across the globe to use in everyday patient care. Cutting-edge healthcare technology to prescribe more effective medications with fewer side effects on a case by case basis.
It was three months to the day since that unforgettable World Cup Final in Moscow, a tournament during which the Croatian team won millions of hearts, a tiny country which dared to dream, battling all the way to the final against all odds. Exactly three months later, I found myself in the official hospital of the Croatian World Cup team (and several international sports stars), St. Catherine Specialty Hospital, attending a press conference.
The more I get to know the potential and excellence of Croatia's medical tourism story, the more I am amazed. Shortly after the World Cup, I wrote an article, Why Croatian Health Tourism Could Also Reach the World Cup Final. And here I was, about to learn about a truly remarkable innovation, co-founded by Mayo Clinic, the best hospital in the United States. Going into a partnership with a Croatian hospital to expand a new product across Europe.
(Paul Owen, CEO of One Ome)
"Why Croatia?" replied Paul Owen. "We are delighted to be working with St Catherine Specialty Hospital, a hospital of outstanding reputation which has been working with Mayo Clinic for the past 16 years. We are confident that St Catherine, in partnership with OneOme, will make the RightMed test and OneOme's supporting technology to Croatia, before expanding to Germany, Switzerland and beyond."
The best hospital in the United States working with the best hospital in Croatia. World Cup level indeed.
Rather than try and blind you with science, I refer you to the official press release below and this excellent OneOme Video above about the RightMed comprehensive test. The very polished presentation came with some startling numbers and data. The fourth biggest killer in the United States is ADR (Adverse Drug Reaction). Not only that, but about half of prescribed drugs have no effect on patients, I learned, and one drug will have a different effect on different patients. A little like a one-size suit will fit one person, but not the other, so too with drugs and doses, the effect of which are linked to genes and metabolism. What if it was possible to test an individual patient to find out which medicine is effective and which not, how quickly that individual patient reacts to a particular medicine? A personal result leading to a personal solution, with two key and immediate benefits. a reduction in ADR deaths and a huge saving on healthcare costs with the prescription of drugs that will actuatlly do the job on a case by case basis. The return of investment was mentioned as being 7:1.
(Professor Dragan Primorac of St Catherine Specialty Hosptial in Zagreb)
Healthcare is not my forte, but this seems very exciting news indeed, and a more detailed interview with St Catherine's owner Professor Dragan Primorac is planned. In the meantime, learn more from the press release below and video above. Another great day for Croatia's health tourism story.
MINNEAPOLIS and ZAGREB, Croatia (October 15, 2018) - OneOme, co-founded with Mayo Clinic, announced today that they are partnering with St. Catherine Specialty Hospital, a European Center of Excellence, to bring innovative, actionable pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing to patients.
St. Catherine Specialty Hospital will offer its patients the OneOme RightMed® comprehensive test, a PGx test that uses a person’s DNA to predict their response to hundreds of medications. Using the RightMed test results and OneOme’s supporting technology, physicians at St. Catherine may prescribe more effective medications with fewer side effects.
“St. Catherine is well regarded across the globe for its high quality of care and for its innovative diagnostic and personalized treatment strategies,” said Paul Owen, CEO of OneOme. “We look forward to further enhancing St. Catherine’s level of care with the RightMed solution by helping its physicians optimize treatment strategies.”
The RightMed test covers 27 genes and hundreds of medications used to treat 30 medical conditions, including cancer, pain, psychiatric disorders, and cardiovascular disease. The comprehensive coverage of the RightMed test provides PGx results that can be used for years to come when treating these medical conditions.
“We selected the RightMed test because of its scientific rigor and because it covers more genes and medications than any other product we identified,” said Dr. Dragan Primorac, president of the Board of Trustees at St. Catherine Specialty Hospital. “We are particularly excited to provide clinical insights to guide the enhancement of OneOme’s solution and for the potential the test holds in optimizing pain management.”
St. Catherine and OneOme are also collaborating on a research study to evaluate pain management treatments for lower back pain.
About OneOme
OneOme was co-founded with Mayo Clinic to bringing pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing into routine clinical care. OneOme is a privately held company backed by early-stage venture firm Invenshure, LLC, and Mayo Clinic. To learn more about OneOme, visit www.oneome.com.
About St. Catherine Specialty Hospital
St. Catherine is a university teaching hospital and the official hospital of the Croatian Olympic Committee and of the Croatian Football Federation. The Hospital is the first European recipient of U.S. Global Healthcare Accreditation and known for introducing the integrative concept of personalized medicine in clinical practice. To learn more about St. Catherine, visit https://www.svkatarina.hr/en.
