Mitsubishi Tanabe Launches Online Tool to Help Patients, Caregivers Find ALS Infusion Services

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA) has launched a new database that locates healthcare providers, area infusion treatment centers, and in-home infusion services, with the goal of providing a one-stop convenient resource for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and caregivers.

The nationwide directory is available within the ALS Care Locator platform. After selecting the kind of service preferred, users will be asked their location. That answer will prompt a roster of local services and insurance and contact information, if it’s available.

The tool also identifies multidisciplinary centers, including ALS Association clinics and Muscular Dystrophy Association centers. Healthcare providers listed include neurologists and other experts.

“Information and resources are important to those seeking ALS care,” Atsushi Fujimoto, president of MTPA, said in a press release. “We sincerely hope that expanding the reach of the ALS Care Locator will give more people in the ALS community direct access to search for services, and coordinate therapy based on individual needs and healthcare provider treatment plan.”

Roughly 614 infusion sites, 138 home infusion centers, and 178 healthcare providers are currently on the site. In the future, the platform is expected to be enhanced with even more resources.

This information was previously only available through a product access program, Searchlight Support, for Radicava (edaravone), an ALS therapy developed and marketed by MTPA. In 2017, the treatment became the first to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for ALS in some 20 years.

Administered intravenously (into the vein), Radicava has been used by nearly 4,000 patients in the United States.

The infusion centers listed in the online database are not affiliated with Mitsubishi Tanabe, nor do they pay to be listed. Inclusion of a center in the ALS Care Locator does not constitute endorsement. Likewise, the absence of a center does not equate to an opinion on the center’s credentials, qualifications, or abilities, according to MTPA.

In related news, MTPA and Massachusetts General Hospital are conducting a study to identify biomarkers related to ALS, which may be helpful to assess patient response to Radicava.

A progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord, ALS currently affects up to 30,000 U.S. residents.

New Jersey-based MTPA aims to deliver novel products that address unmet medical needs in North America.