Glen Mills, Pa.-based Pentec Health announced Tuesday it had acquired medical food provider ZOIA Pharma.
Pentec officials said ZOIA Pharma, based out of Vancouver, Wash., is the only medical food provider in the United States focusing solely on the rare disease community. The acquisition will allow Pentec to provide people with rare conditions to have improved access to a complete range of medical foods, including patients with phenylketonuria (PKU). PKU patients will now have access to the PKU GOLIKE family of medical food products, the company said.
“There are about 10,000 active PKU patients who struggle to find a reliable supplier for their metabolic formula and low-protein food,” David Lindsley, R.D., founder and chief executive officer of ZOIA Pharma, said. “ZOIA’s acquisition by Pentec expands our nationwide reach and increases accessibility of both medical formula and low-protein foods. This is great news for families living with PKU.”
Pentec is the exclusive distributor for Relief Therapeutics for the PKU GOLIFE family of products, and the acquisition of ZOIA Pharma ensures ZOIA’s customers have access to the medical food for PKU customers who cannot breakdown Phe, which helps build protein in the diet. Patients with PKU require a lifelong treatment and adherence to a special low-protein diet to prevent behavioral problems, developmental delays and severe intellectual disability.
“Working together, Pentec, ZOIA Pharma and Relief Therapeutics are helping to solve problems in the rare disease world to improve the health of people with these conditions,” said Matthew Deans, president and chief executive officer of Pentec. “We are an extension of the family’s care team and the combination of ZOIA’s expertise in medical foods and Pentec’s ability to support expanded coverage across Medicaid and other private insurance plans, increases availability, which is vital for patient access and adherence.”