Otsuka Signs Three-Year Collaboration with Holmusk to Enhance Digital Health and Data Analytics for Global Behavioral Health Programs

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (“Otsuka”), announces today that it has entered a three-year collaboration with Holmusk Inc. (“Holmusk”), a global data science and digital health company building the world’s largest real-world evidence (RWE) platform for behavioral health.

Together, Otsuka and Holmusk will work to drive a deeper understanding of unmet patient needs and real-world outcomes by employing proprietary analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) on multiple real-world data sources. These insights can have application across Otsuka’s portfolio and have the potential to improve patient lives. The new collaboration, worth up to $4 million annually, marks an expansion of the existing relationship that started with an exploration of real-world outcomes in behavioral health in 2020. 

“Holmusk is a global leader in real-world evidence and owns distinctive data assets for behavioral health. This collaboration strengthens Otsuka’s capabilities in serving people living with complex, chronic diseases,” said Christoph Koenen, MD, executive vice president, and chief medical officer, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. “This is the next step in Otsuka’s journey to utilize real-world evidence to improve clinical development with the goal of achieving better patient outcomes. We look forward to working together.” 

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Otsuka,” said Nawal Roy, Holmusk founder and CEO. “Their commitment and passion to help patients suffering from poor behavioral health aligns with our mission.  The expertise they provide to guide these efforts ensure we are targeting the right questions and allow us to get the most from our digital and analytics assets.”

As part of the collaboration, Otsuka’s affiliate, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Limited (“OPEL”), transferred its Otsuka Health Solutions (OHS) digital assets based in the U.K. to Holmusk. OHS improves mental health services delivery through predictive analytics. 

“Otsuka remains committed to supporting mental health and this collaboration ensures we are invested in the future success of Holmusk, which will continue to enhance delivery of care with providers in the UK,” said Sahil Kirpekar, M.D., head of Business Development at Otsuka. Fraser Finance acted as an advisor to Otsuka to support the transfer of the Otsuka Healthcare Solutions assets in the UK.