NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Vivera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received a Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Application No. 17/066,985 entitled, “Self-Contained, Portable, Sanitization Device and Telemedicine Station,” for the Company’s MDZone platform from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This Notice of Allowance indicates that the patent application has passed its examination for issuance.
MDZone will be a HIPAA compliant, portable telemedicine station that will allow patients to access health care and connect with a medical provider remotely. Broadly patented for multiple points of utilization, MDZone will make health care more affordable and accessible than ever for communities across the country.
Telehealth services and technology are often more convenient in terms of both scheduling and transportation than in-office visits and have been instrumental in improving access to medical care for many patients. Patients who can benefit from telehealth include those with mobility limitations or other challenges that can make it difficult to attend in-person doctor visits. Virtual care has also been considered a tool to increase accessibility to health care in rural communities where physician shortages are more prevalent.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of telehealth for various appointment types, including general wellness and preventative care, medication management, and pre-visit lab orders. Lockdowns, social distancing, hospitals at capacity, and delayed surgeries and routine preventative care visits have contributed to a current surge in serious illnesses and even an increased incidence of death from medical complications that could have been prevented. While telehealth won’t completely replace in-office appointments, it is helping a health care system, stretched thin on everything from beds to staffing to heightened costs, with a more streamlined and effective touchpoint to provide patients with enhanced access to medical care.
“The pandemic prompted a shift in the rapid adoption of telehealth services worldwide,” said Paul Edalat, CEO of Vivera. “A number of serious illnesses and even deaths could have been prevented if we had technology like MDZone available from the beginning of the pandemic to provide quality care to patients from the comfort of their homes, schools, or offices. Many people developed new medical conditions or experienced worsening of existing ones, and their suffering could have been prevented if we had the right systems in place.”
MDZone is designed to be a complete turn-key solution for health screenings. It can measure a patient’s biometric data, including heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose, and allow the medical provider to provide interactive medical evaluation and feedback. If the measured values were outside of recommended ranges, the patient would be provided with a treatment plan, which could include dietary change suggestions, a prescription for medication, a lab order, or a recommendation for an in-person visit.
“MDZone will give people access to health care as often as they need it without having to visit a doctor’s office,” said Vivera’s Chief Medical Officer, Stephen J. McColgan, M.D., M.B.A. “In turn, they will be able to make real-time decisions about their treatment plan, translating to better patient outcomes.”
Even with patients returning to in-person doctor’s office visits, the need for telehealth services is expected to continue increasing. In 2021, the U.S. telehealth market size was valued at $23.5 billion and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44.4% from 2022 to 2028.
In addition to making health care more accessible, MDZone will also make it more affordable. Vivera’s technology can be life-changing for low-income communities and schools with limited resources. Many schools don’t have a full-time on-site nurse. By utilizing the telemedicine station to conduct student health screenings, MDZone may eliminate the need to see a nurse in some instances while still providing quality care.
Vivera maintains a solid intellectual property strategy with six patents granted and 26 patents pending. Receiving its patent for MDZone as a self-contained, portable telemedicine station will strengthen and expand the Company’s patient-centric patent portfolio.
About Vivera Pharmaceuticals
Vivera Pharmaceuticals is an innovative, science-driven pharmaceutical company located in Southern California. The Company has global exclusivity to license the patented and patent-pending TABMELT® sublingual drug delivery system for pharmaceutical use and holds its own issued patents on ZICOH®, a smart dose-controlled medical device. It also has patents pending on its telemedicine station, MDZone. With multiple divisions, including its pharmaceutical, neurosciences, medical technology, biosciences, and advanced diagnostics divisions, Vivera Pharmaceuticals is vertically integrated with patented technology, manufacturing capabilities, and distribution for its products.
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