VerdePharmHealth Announces Launch of Comprehensive Cannabis Solutions

New model aims to drive aggregated purchasing of quality products and services

NEW HOPE, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#cancer–VerdePharmHealth announced the launch of a unique model – a cannabis group purchasing organization (VerdePharm GPO) coupled with a clinical education & healthcare technology solutions business (VerdePharm Solutions). The first organization of its kind in the U.S., VerdePharmHealth’s multi-specialty model is designed to drive high-level commitment and affordability for members through accessibility of quality cannabis products from prequalified distributors and manufacturers and leveraging of clinical services and robust technology to improve decisions for interventions at the point of care and monitor real-world evidence. Utilizing retrospective data and clinical studies for decision-support and standardization of appropriate-use in the care delivery process is a central pillar towards achieving outcomes.

“This new model is a way for VerdePharm GPO to provide contracting platforms in approved states for our most committed members based on their ability to drive standardization and transform the patient journey,” said Jesse Hollingsworth, Chief Executive Officer & Founder at VerdePharmHealth.

To execute successfully on this innovative strategy, a tenured leadership team of multi-disciplinary industry veterans has been assembled for an immediate impact:

LEADERSHIP:

• Chief Executive Officer & Founder – Jesse Z. Hollingsworth
  
  25 years of executive pharmaceutical commercial experience in sales and marketing across companies like Heron, AP Pharma, Dendreon, AmerisourceBergen Specialty GPO, and Amgen. Specialized in PE-backed early stage firms and in mature global enterprises.

• Chief Operating Officer – George Raupp
  
  25 years of executive experience in the investment management, venture capital, and alternative investment industry at large financial institutions such as JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley and a founding member of two successful start-up hedge funds. Well versed in the intricacies of seed funding, in addition to the organizational, financing, and revenue generating requirements of early stage companies.

• Chief Commercial Officer – Nikko Khazana, R.Ph.
  
  26 years of executive commercial leadership roles is corporate strategy, sales, marketing, and operations at Fortune specialty, data, group purchasing, and pharmaceutical companies like IQVIA, Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen Specialty, Tyco International to healthcare technology, value-based care and genomic start-ups like NantHealth, IntegraConnect, and CompanionDx Reference Lab.

• Chief Financial Officer – John Horvath
  
  Founder & CEO of Horvath & Giacin, P.C. an accounting firm based in Pennington, NJ offering both accounting and auditing services to clients in over ten countries. 20 years of mergers and acquisitions, capital raise and seed funding experience for various financial and healthcare institutions.

ADVISORY PANEL:

• Medical Advisor – Dr. Stanley M. Marks, MD
  
  Dr. Marks is a Hematologist and Oncologist, and serves as Chairman, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center; Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology UPMC Shadyside; and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Marks has served as president of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and president and chairman of the Allegheny County Medical Society; Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Marks has authored numerous publications and is the recipient of several awards, including the National Research Service Award from the United States Public Health Service.

• Medical Advisor – Dr. Ralph Boccia, MD, FACP
  
  Dr. Boccia is a board-certified Hematologist and Oncologist, and is President and Medical Director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, in Bethesda, Maryland. He holds additional positions as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University, Chief Medical Officer of the International Oncology Network (ION) , and Board of Directors at Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA).

  He is dedicated to drug development and clinical research, and has a large clinical research program in Bethesda. His publication credits from this vast research program include more than 150 articles, abstracts, and posters, reporting research results for major clinical trials in several prestigious journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lancet, amongst others. Dr. Boccia serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Hematology and Oncology, Community Oncology, Oncology and Biotechnology News, and Targeted Therapies News.

• Medical Advisor – Dr. Gordon Brown, DO
  
  Dr. Brown is board-certified by the American Osteopathic Association and has been practicing urology for more than ten years. Specializing in the treatment of prostate cancer, Dr. Brown serves as Director of Delaware Valley Urology’s Center for Advanced Therapeutics and Medical Director of Robotic Surgery at Jefferson Health, New Jersey. He is affiliated with Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, John F Kennedy Medical Center, Lourdes Medical Center Burlington, Virtua Berlin, Virtua Voorhees Hospital and Kennedy Health System Cherry Hill.

  Dr. Brown completed a Urologic Oncology Fellowship at the UTMD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. He is a member of the American Urologic Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association of Cancer Research and the Society of Urologic Oncology, as well as the author of numerous publications.

“Top patient-focused organizations understand the value of reducing variation, enabling decision-support and assessing real-world utilization to improve quality of care, drive efficiencies and reduce costs. Scaling these best practices across our alliance will provide a new benefit to our members, their patients and our contracted suppliers,” said Nikko Khazana, Chief Commercial Officer at VerdePharmHealth.

About VerdePharmHealth

VerdePharmHealth provides comprehensive multi-specialty group purchasing, clinical, and healthcare technology solutions for cannabis. For more information, visit www.verdepharmhealth.com or follow VerdePharmHealth on LinkedIn.

Forward-looking statements

Matters discussed in this release that are not statements of historical or current facts, such as expected savings and other expected benefits to members and suppliers, as discussed herein, are “forward-looking statements” which may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of VerdePharmHealth and its subsidiaries to be materially different from historical results or from any future results or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe such risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements in the conditional or future tenses or that include terms such as “believes,” “belief,” “expects,” “estimates,” “intends,” “anticipates” or “plans” to be uncertain and forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include comments as to VerdePharmHealth’s beliefs and expectations as to future events and trends affecting its business and are necessarily subject to uncertainties, many of which are outside VerdePharmHealth’s control. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. VerdePharmHealth undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise that occur after that date.

Contacts

[email protected] or George Raupp, Chief Operating Officer 610.937.1175