Geisinger is working to drive down prescription costs with the help of EQRx
DANVILLE, Pa. – Geisinger is working to lower prescription drug costs thanks to their work with EQRx, a new type of pharmaceutical company committed to developing and delivering important new medicines to patients at radically lower prices. Geisinger is committed to working to provide safe, effective, and affordable medications easily accessible to its patients and health plan members.
The parties have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) that provides a roadmap for Geisinger and EQRx to enter into a commercial agreement that would give Geisinger’s members and patients access to EQRx’s pipeline of innovative medicines, contingent upon approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The MOU contemplates an expansion of the existing, long-term strategic collaboration between the two organizations with a shared goal of bringing innovative therapies to the people Geisinger serves, in a financially sustainable way.
The agreement would initially focus on EQRx’s two lead oncology programs, aumolertinib and sugemalimab, and could be expanded to other EQRx pipeline programs. Aumolertinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, and sugemalimab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, have both shown promising Phase 3 data for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
“Our partnership with EQRx is well aligned with Geisinger’s commitment to our community to make better health easier by directly addressing the rising costs of healthcare and medications in particular,” said Mike Evans, Chief Pharmacy Officer, Geisinger. “Ballooning medication costs are placing an unsustainable burden on both patients and the U.S. healthcare system. This partnership marks Geisinger’s commitment to disrupt the status-quo and help make lower-cost medications for our patients a reality.”
“We are committed to partnering with different types of health systems worldwide to increase access to medicines, and we are thrilled to collaborate with Geisinger, a leading integrated delivery network,” said Melanie Nallicheri, chief executive officer of EQRx. “The MOU provides a roadmap for access to future EQRx products, beginning with our two lead oncology programs, and paves the way to delivering these lower-cost, innovative medicines to the more than one million people within Geisinger’s health system upon FDA approval.”
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
EQRx is a new type of pharmaceutical company committed to developing and delivering innovative medicines to patients at radically lower prices. Launched in January 2020, EQRx is purpose-built, at scale, with a growing catalog of medicines in development in high-cost drug categories and emerging partnerships with leading payers and providers. Leveraging cutting-edge science and technology and strategic partnerships with stakeholders from across the healthcare system, EQRx aims to provide innovative, patent-protected medicines more efficiently and cost-effectively than ever before. To learn more, visit www.eqrx.com and follow us on social media: Twitter: @EQRxInc, LinkedIn, Instagram: @eqrxinc.
EQRx™ and Remaking Medicine™ are trademarks of EQRx, Inc.
