• Real world evidence demonstrates pharmaceutical support programs positively impact patient persistence with clozapine treatment
• Study highlights significant differences in clozapine persistence rates across pharmaceutical support programs

DORVAL, QC, May 28, 2024 /CNW/ - HLS Therapeutics Inc. ("HLS" or the "Company") (TSX: HLS), a pharmaceutical company focused on addressing unmet needs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular disease, announces that results from a Quebec-based retrospective study examining the positive impact of pharmaceutical support programs ("PSPs") on persistence with clozapine treatment have been published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The publication, titled "The Impact of Pharmaceutical Support Programs on Persistence: Clinical, Human and Economic Impact of Clozapine Support Programs in Quebec, Canada", is based on an 18-month persistence study conducted using data from the Régie de l' Assurance Maladie du Québec ("RAMQ") for patients who were initiated on clozapine treatment.  

Clozapine PSPs were created to provide additional services to help health care providers manage patients being treated with clozapine which is the only approved treatment for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia ("TRS") in Canada. Approximately 25-30% of people with Schizophrenia have TRS. HLS's branded version of clozapine is CLOZARIL® and its associated PSP is the CLOZARIL Support and Assistance Network, or CSAN®.

The study highlights that helping patients maintain persistence with clozapine treatment is a critical success factor for the management of TRS patients, resulting in reduced pain and suffering of the patient, improved treatment benefits, and reduced health care costs. The study found that persistence rates were better when clozapine was paired with a PSP, including a 69% reported persistence rate overall for CSAN, as opposed to a 25% persistence rate without a program. The study also notes that differences in the offerings between PSPs can have an impact on persistence, placing varying demands on the health care system. 

"Improved persistence with clozapine treatment not only benefits patients and their families, but it also saves the healthcare system important resources, as patients who are stabilized on clozapine treatment require fewer hospitalizations, emergency room consultations and physician visits," said Jason A. Gross, Pharm.D., Vice President, Scientific Affairs at HLS.  "I'm very proud of the hard work our CSAN team does every day on behalf of patients and practitioners. This publication demonstrates the important impact they have on patient care." 

Link to study

ABOUT HLS THERAPEUTICS INC.

Formed in 2015, HLS is a pharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition and commercialization of late-stage development, commercial stage promoted and established branded pharmaceutical products in the North American markets. HLS's focus is on products targeting the central nervous system and cardiovascular therapeutic areas. HLS's management team is composed of seasoned pharmaceutical executives with a strong track record of success in these therapeutic areas and at managing products in each of these lifecycle stages. For more information visit: www.hlstherapeutics.com

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

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