Sensidose has developed an individually tailored treatment for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. The treatment is carried out with Flexilife, a medicine in the form of levodopa/carbidopa microtablets, which are dispensed with the company's dosing device MyFID.
Flexilev is approved in many European countries, but is currently only sold in Scandinavia, where it is now focusing on increasing sales. In parallel, Sensidose is preparing for geographical expansion into more markets. According to a interview with the company's founder Sten-Magnus Aquilonius The market introduction is affected by the pricing in the country, which is something that will be negotiated in both Poland and Finland.
Polish Neurological Society Annual Scientific and Educational Conference
As a preparatory step for launching on the Polish market, Sensidose participated in Polish Neurological Society congress on September 14-17. This was the society's first congress after two years of canceled meetings due to the pandemic.
The event is Poland's largest meeting in the field of neurology, attended by virtually all prominent neurology specialists, relevant authorities and decision-makers. This made the event an excellent opportunity for Sensidose to market its treatment concept:
»The meeting was an excellent opportunity for us to meet with specialists in the Parkinson's field, the patient association, government officials and present our treatment concept ahead of the upcoming award application« – Jack Spira, CEO Sensidose
Positive feedback from doctors
During the congress, Sensidose brought the MyFID dose dispenser with Polish texts, which allowed them to discuss and demonstrate the treatment principle in an effective way. Doctors from all over the country were able to test the dose device and learn more about how the treatment works, both from the patients' and healthcare professionals' perspectives. According to Sensidose, the treatment was well received:
»We received many compliments on how straightforward, logical and functional the system was for both doctors and patients.«
CEO comments on preparations for launch in Poland
Through the congress, Sensidose established an initial presence in Poland and laid the foundation for the planned launch. They also learned more about the subsidy application procedure and strengthened the relationship with the company's agent in Poland.
BioStock contacted Sensidose's CEO Jack Spira to learn more about the lessons learned from the congress and launch plans in Poland.
What lessons do you take away from the Polish Neurological Society's scientific and educational conference?
– Above all, how the Polish system for drug subsidies is structured and how different it is from what we have in Sweden. The majority of the lectures were in Polish, so it was difficult to follow. An important lesson was that patients want to avoid invasive treatments as long as possible. This makes our concept extra interesting in this context.
»An important lesson was that patients want to avoid invasive treatments as long as possible. This makes our concept particularly interesting in this context.«
When do you plan to launch Flexilev in Poland?
– The application procedure for subsidies is complex and although it is stated that you will receive a decision within 180 days, you should expect it to take longer. How long is difficult to say.
What does your sales strategy look like in Poland?
– We want leading neurology specialist clinics to gain experience with the treatment during the application procedure and feel confident with it. Therefore, we will carry out a relatively simple so-called phase IV study in which a suitable number of patients can begin treatment. As soon as we have received a subsidy, we can, with the knowledge and information from these centers behind us, move on to more neurologists. It is difficult to sketch out a detailed plan before we know that we will receive a subsidy and what the subsidy text itself looks like. We will have to come back to that when we have more knowledge.
