AMAG Pharmaceuticals Expands Resources Dedicated to Reducing the Risk of Preterm Birth

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced its Lumara Health division is partnering with NurseWise®, a national nurse triage and health education provider, to launch My Adherence Program™. This new program is designed to facilitate improved patient compliance with Makena® (hydroxyprogesterone caproate injection) therapy. Makena is the only FDA-approved treatment indicated to reduce the risk of preterm birth in women who are pregnant with one baby and who have delivered one preterm baby spontaneously in the past. Makena is a weekly injection administered by a healthcare provider, starting as early as week 16 of the pregnancy, and given weekly until week 37 or the baby is born, whichever occurs first. Each expecting mother who has been prescribed Makena and enrolls (at no additional cost) in My Adherence Program will be paired with a dedicated maternal health nursing specialist who will contact the patient weekly to: Educate patients on the importance of achieving a full-term pregnancy; Provide educational materials that address important topics during pregnancy, such as coping with stress, good nutrition, relaxation techniques, and when applicable, recommendations for stopping smoking and drug use during pregnancy; Encourage adherence to the weekly Makena injection schedule; Identify barriers to adherence and provide potential solutions to overcome those barriers; and Empower patients to take an active role in their health. "For patients who are at risk for preterm birth, every week of pregnancy counts. AMAG's new compliance program can address and remove barriers that may inhibit patients' adherence to therapy," said Robert Kaper, M.D., senior vice president, medical and scientific affairs, at AMAG Pharmaceuticals. "Supporting improved patient compliance is important for giving at-risk expecting mothers the best chance of reducing the risk of another preterm birth." Some of the key features of My Adherence Program include: Weekly telephonic patient outreach by a dedicated maternal health nursing specialist; Notification to the patient's healthcare provider through a HIPAA-compliant and secure platform, as needed; Data collection regarding compliance, including patient-reported reasons for missing injections or discontinuing therapy; and 24/7 availability of maternal health nursing specialists to answer certain patient questions "My Adherence Program is a high-touch, customized program that identifies and addresses unique barriers to Makena adherence that some women face," said Kim Tuck, President and Chief Executive Officer of NurseWise. "We use motivational interviewing and recognized evidence-based practices to identify potential for non-compliance. Our NurseWise team can help support patient follow-through with weekly Makena treatment and may help improve expecting mothers' chances of carrying their babies to full term. We are excited to partner with AMAG Pharmaceuticals to support this important program to help women stay on track with their treatment and help more women achieve a full-term pregnancy." Tuck continued, "As a leading provider of nursing, health education and patient engagement services nationwide, NurseWise has a deep understanding of some of the unique challenges to medication adherence faced by patients – and has more than 20 years of experience delivering positive, measurable and sustainable solutions to help overcome some of these obstacles." Women who are prescribed Makena and meet the FDA-approved indication are eligible to participate in the program. Along with patients' healthcare providers, the Makena Care Connection, a dedicated customer support program provided by Lumara Health, a division of AMAG, will introduce patients to the My Adherence Program when facilitating the prescription process and screening patients for financial assistance. For more information about Makena, visit www.makena.com. For more information, please contact the Makena Care Connection at 1-800-847-3418.