McKesson and TrakCel Launch Innovative Collaboration to Support Commercialization of Cell and Gene Therapies

September 11, 2019 |

4 min read

Goal is to increase access to complex medications to ensure patients get the right drug at the right time faster

Sept. 11, 2019 11:00 UTC

Goal is to increase access to complex medications to ensure patients get the right drug at the right time faster

IRVING, Texas & CARDIFF, Wales--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- McKesson, a leading provider of third-party logistic (3PL) services, patient access support and specialty pharmacy solutions, and TrakCel, the software developer for cell and gene therapy supply chain tracking and orchestration systems, today announce a collaboration to support cell and gene therapy late-stage developers. The collaboration will integrate both companies’ supply chain tracking and patient access services to enable a more efficient path for the industry to develop the next-generation of commercial therapies.

Combining TrakCel’s data tracking and personalized medicine orchestration software system with McKesson’s existing high-touch patient platform, as well as both companies’ expertise and support, will provide an end-to-end solution for the cell and gene therapy industry to manage the entire therapeutic supply chain. McKesson and TrakCel will begin by developing an initial solution design. The combined solutions will then be offered to individual clients that would specifically benefit from this combination.

The blend of these product suites is specifically designed for the increasing number of developers approaching the commercial launch of cell and gene therapies. The integrated platform enables the scale-up of products towards market delivery. This includes automatic scheduling of product-specific workflows across multiple supply chain partners and care team members, and validated chain-of-identity tracking to guarantee correct drug product delivery. These capabilities ensure that the patient receives the correct, uncompromised treatment at the right time.

“TrakCel and McKesson have committed to working closely with a variety of current and future clients to specifically develop tailor-made solutions,” said Ravi Nalliah, CEO of TrakCel. “This integration of solutions and expertise with McKesson will enable us to continue to meet the needs of the cell and gene therapy sector and patients as more products move towards commercialization.”

“Precision medicine and the delivery of innovative cell and gene therapies require a personalized approach,” said Layne Martin, VP/GM, Specialty Distribution Solutions, McKesson Life Sciences. “TrakCel’s robust data tracking and verification capabilities, combined with McKesson’s industry leading 3PL, specialty pharmacy solutions and patient support capabilities, are critical to helping manufacturers safely and effectively commercialize innovative new therapies. This integrated system will help prescribers and manufacturers work together seamlessly to ensure that the right patient always receives the correct therapeutic product at the right time.”

About TrakCel

TrakCel is the market-leading designer, developer and deliverer of integrated technologies specifically created in 2012 to manage the international autologous and allogeneic cell, gene and immunotherapy supply chain. TrakCel’s software platform has been developed in collaboration with, and increasingly adopted by leading companies in the cell, gene and immunotherapy industries. TrakCel’s solutions deliver real-time control over the entire therapeutic supply chain, from sample collection through manufacturing to treatment delivery. The TrakCel platform accelerates global scale-up and scale-out of cell and gene therapy products, increasing efficiency and decreasing complexity, while maintaining needle-to-needle compliance and traceability.

TrakCel is headquartered in Cardiff, Wales, UK with US offices in California and New Jersey. It aims to employ over 100 people by end of 2019, following a number of senior appointments in 2016 and 2017.

About McKesson Corporation

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 7th on the FORTUNE 500, is a global leader in healthcare supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, healthcare technology, community oncology and specialty care. McKesson partners with life sciences companies, manufacturers, providers, pharmacies, governments and other healthcare organizations to help provide the right medicines, medical products and healthcare services to the right patients at the right time, safely and cost-effectively. United by our ICARE shared principles, our employees work every day to innovate and deliver opportunities to improve patient care in every setting — one product, one partner, one patient at a time. McKesson has been named a “Most Admired Company” in the healthcare wholesaler category by FORTUNE, a “Best Place to Work” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and a top military-friendly company by Military Friendly. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.