WALTHAM, MA and BEVERLY HILLS, CA — March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ CorEvitas and The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation (GJCF) are excited to announce plans for launching the SPHERES (Synergy of Prospective Health & Experimental Research for Emerging Solutions in NMOSD) Registry for Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD). CorEvitas is the leading sponsor of registries in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. In collaboration with GJCF, the SPHERES Registry is designed to better understand the benefit and safety of newly approved therapies for patients diagnosed with NMOSD.
“The SPHERES Registry will serve as a comprehensive real-world study to advance our knowledge of NMOSD in ways that directly help patients. Importantly, its focus will include safety and effectiveness of newly approved medications, evolving treatment patterns and access, and understanding patient experience over time. The study will also enable research on cellular and molecular biomarkers through collection of biospecimens” said Dr. Michael Yeaman, Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Chair Medical Advisor to the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation.
NMOSD is a rare neuroinflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, primarily targeting the optic nerves, spinal cord and brain. It is currently estimated to afflict approximately 15,000 people in the U.S. and hundreds of thousands worldwide. Historically, this disease has imposed significant physical and emotional disability and life-threatening outcomes. Today, advances in diagnosis, biomarkers and newly FDA-approved treatment options offer patients with NMOSD promise to lessen or prevent disability and enhance quality of life.
“We are excited and truly honored to partner with GJCF on this collaborative research initiative, further demonstrating our deep commitment as a company to accelerating real-world evidence generation in neurologic diseases,” said Dr. Jeff Greenberg, Chief Medical Officer of CorEvitas.
Scientific experts in clinical research, epidemiology and biostatistics at CorEvitas will manage, operate and analyze data from the SPHERES Registry. Advisors from GJCF will serve on the scientific steering committee and facilitate state-of-the art research, building on the success and insights generated by the CIRCLES (Collaborative International Research in Clinical and Longitudinal Experience for NMOSD Studies) Registry. The SPHERES registry represents the ongoing commitment of Genentech, a Member of the Roche Group, to support collaborative programs that benefit people living with NMOSD and their families. CorEvitas and GJCF look forward to additional industry partners joining this collaboration going forward. CorEvitas and GJCF are inviting sites and patients to join the registry to reach an enrollment goal of approximately 750 NMOSD patients. To learn more about the SPHERES Registry, visit https://www.corevitas.com/contact-us.
About The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation (GJCF)
Since 2008, The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation has dedicated more than $65 million to funding clinical and basic science research aimed at understanding and solving NMOSD. As part of its field-transforming blueprint, GJCF designed and led the CIRCLES Registry, created the International Clinical Consortium for NMOSD including more than 100 world experts from 32 countries, formed the NMOSD Industry Council, organized the International Panel on NMOSD Diagnosis, engaged FDA in support of new therapies, and published a body of high-impact papers in leading journals, among other high-impact initiatives. As a result, the first-ever approved NMOSD therapies — along with quantum leaps in patient quality of life, improved diagnostics, biomarker identification, advances in epidemiology, and pioneering tolerization clinical trials—are now realities. The GJCF passionately supports programs that elevate public awareness of NMOSD through education and advocacy for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers. Together with its partners, these breakthroughs exemplify the GJCF mission to minimize the burden of NMOSD through prevention, rapid diagnosis, safe and effective treatments, and ultimately cures for this disease. Learn more at guthyjacksonfoundation.org.
About CorEvitasSM
CorEvitas is the built-for-purpose gold-standard provider of real-world evidence. Through syndicated registry data and analytic services, CorEvitas helps biopharmaceutical companies demonstrate the value of their products to clinicians, patients, payers, and regulators. CorEvitas operates eight major autoimmune and inflammatory registries across the US, Canada, and Japan, collecting data from nearly 500 participating investigator sites. In addition to supporting hundreds of manuscripts and abstracts, CorEvitas has supported post approval safety commitments for multiple newly approved treatments in autoimmune diseases for both U.S. and European regulators. CorEvitas is headquartered in Waltham, MA. Its subsidiary, HealthiVibe, complements and strengthens the company’s strong presence in disease registries by providing market-leading expertise in supporting innovative, evidence-based patient engagement initiatives across the product lifecycle. The HealthUnlocked technology platform hosts over 1.4 million patients in hundreds of condition-specific communities and significantly expands the scope of patient experiential data. Through Health iQ, CorEvitas has access to a broad range of UK and international data sets across primary and secondary care, as well as deep relationships with the NHS and leading UK academic institutions. CorEvitas is a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity.