PARTNERSHIPS
The OC Health Care Agency has tapped Irvine-based software developer Composite Apps to manage and streamline its COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
The company’s Othena application allows an individual user to pre-register and make appointments for vaccinations and it gives healthcare providers the ability to manage patient onboarding, reminders, scheduling and follow up.
The application will also track vaccination at the community level, so the county can ensure equitable distribution of the vaccine and track its progress toward herd immunity, according to the OC Health Care Agency.
Othena is powered by Cura Patient, a Composite Apps product that was developed at the onset of the pandemic.
Cura Patient started as a virtual triaging app for overwhelmed healthcare providers and systems, and was part of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “Blue-Ribbon Commission – Future of Telemedicine.”
The platform leverages data to connect providers, payers and patients and streamline logistics and care.
It hosts telemedicine appointments, integrates with remote monitoring devices, documents verbal notes, automates bill status and ensures payers received coded bills to return to providers and patients.
Composite Apps is led by Chief Executive Long Nguyen, a University of California, Irvine alumnus who was previously a vice president of technology for Logistics App, now part of Oracle.
IACTA Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Irvine this month acquired the commercial rights to a new class of non-opioid painkillers developed by French biotech Pharmaleads.
Pharmaleads and its subsidiary, Pharmaleads Greater China, will be eligible to receive up to $100 million in total deal value, the companies said.
“With this agreement, IACTA and Pharmaleads will collaborate to develop next-generation pain treatments to help the millions of people across the globe living with the debilitating effects of ocular pain,” IACTA Chief Executive Damon Burrows said.
IACTA will lead the clinical and commercial development of IC-1800 and IC-805 for the treatment of acute and chronic ocular pain, respectively.
Current medications for ocular pain include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which cannot be used for an extended period of time, and opioids that can cause nausea, addiction and other harmful side effects, the companies said.
IACTA, founded in 2016, is currently developing six products for dry eye and ocular pain.
FINANCING
Cie, an Irvine-based venture studio, said last week its portfolio company Longève Brands raised a $5 million seed round of financing.
The round was led by Irvine-based Springboard Ventures and Los Angeles-based Wavemaker Partners. RezVen Partners of Irvine and Alumni Ventures Group also participated.
Longève, founded late last year, is a plant-based protein ingredient maker.
Its protein crumbles come in original and “panko” flavors. It is also developing “taco fiesta” and “masala curry” flavors, among others, which contain enough protein to replace 2 pounds of ground meat.
The company is creating an assortment of shelf-stable products, while many meat replacement packaged goods are pre-made, refrigerated or frozen, Longève said.
Cie is currently incubating a number of early-stage startups including caregiver app CareBirds and safety training software firm Performa Labs. One of its portfolio companies, nutrition platform Titan School Solutions, was acquired for $75 million in November.
PRODUCTS
Los Alamitos-based Dimer UVC Innovations recently unveiled its “UVHammer” disinfection cart.
The company said the ultraviolet product is the first of its kind that is operator driven, made for businesses, schools and other commercial environments looking to reopen safely.
The UVHammer breaks “the mold of how this technology has been used in the past,” said President Elliot “Mo” Kreitenberg, who developed the firm’s core platform with his father, Arthur.
The battery-powered product features UV lamp “wings” that adjust to any angle to disinfect a variety of horizontal and vertical surfaces. It has been shown to kill 99.99% of all disease-causing germs including SARS-CoV-2, the company said.
“With the launch of UVHammer, we’re excited to elevate public hygiene standards now, and for years to come,” Kreitenberg said.
The UVHammer is Dimer’s second commercial product. The company’s “GermFalcon” product uses the same UV technology to disinfect an airplane in about 10 minutes.
The GermFalcon has been licensed by Charlotte, N.C.-based Honeywell International (NYSE: HON) and was recognized as one of Time magazine’s Best Inventions of 2020.
NEW HIRES
Everguard.ai, an Irvine-based developer of a computer vision safety platform for industrial environments, named Paul Thurber its director of business development and safety.
Thurber was previously safety director at Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Inc. He has also held positions in environmental health and safety at Alabama Metal Industries Corp., Hyundai Motor Manufacturing and Charter Communications.
“I’ve worked with many teams to develop and sustain world-class safety cultures across multiple industries over the past 30 years,” Thurber said in a statement. “Now I have the opportunity to provide safety professionals a platform to do what we in safety have dreamt about for years; shift our approach from one that is reactive to one that is truly proactive.”
Boston-based BCG Digital Ventures and Seah Global Inc., a South Korean steel conglomerate with Irvine operations, established and provided an initial investment for Everguard in 2019.
ZO Skin Health, an Irvine-based skincare brand that sells through skincare professionals, added Kathy O’Brien to its board of directors.
O’Brien was most recently a general manager of skin and marketing services at London-based Unilever PLC, where she oversaw marketing for women’s personal care product brands including Dove.
She also serves on the board of Tabula Rasa HealthCare Inc. and AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing ZO Skin Health grow from its infancy to the esteemed medical-grade skincare company it is today, and look forward to helping the company elevate further and drive its mission of providing broad access to healthy skincare products,” O’Brien said in a statement.
New York-based Blackstone Tactical Opportunities last September acquired a majority stake in the ZO on undisclosed terms.
