Patient-centric Vivera is committed to improving patient lives and making a meaningful impact worldwide

“By concentrating on drug delivery, we can elevate patient experiences and potentially achieve better outcomes.”

Since its inception, medical technologies and biopharmaceuticals company Vivera has dedicated its development initiatives to innovation in drug delivery with transformative therapies and devices. The Company has always placed a strong emphasis on its people, strong partnerships, and its patient-centric mission to make patient lives better. Supported by a strong California-based team and with a patent portfolio comprised of 35 pending and licensed patents, Vivera aims to reshape the landscape of drug delivery, medical devices, and medical technologies.

The Silicon Review reached out to Paul Edalat, Chairman, Founder, & CEO of Vivera, and here's what he had to say.

Interview Highlights

Q. Why was Vivera founded? What pain points did you set out to solve?

I was passionate about tennis, weightlifting, and overall health and wellness from a young age. Leveraging my experiences and entrepreneurial skills, I journeyed to transform the rapidly growing fitness and wellness sectors for over two decades.

While my enthusiasm for athletics and fitness remains strong, my priorities shifted when my brother was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2004. I supported my brother throughout his cancer battle, which unfortunately ended two years after the diagnosis. One thing I noticed throughout the course of his treatment was that many of the prescribed pain management medications had little to no prescribing or dispensing controls.

Since then, I have dedicated my efforts to creating novel biopharmaceutical and technology solutions for controlled, highly addictive, and highly abused medications that prioritize individual patients over profits in tribute to my brother's legacy. Vivera was founded around two innovative technologies: TABMELT, a patented and patent-pending medication delivery system for biopharmaceutical compounds, and ZICOH, a patented electronic smart device that enables dose-controlled medication dispensing.

At-Vivera, we emphasize the importance of putting patients at the center of everything we do, ensuring that their needs, experiences, and well-being are the primary drivers of our decision-making processes. This patient-centric approach helps guide the development of therapies that genuinely address patient needs with the goal of improving their quality of life.

Q. What are Vivera's primary focus areas as an innovative, science-driven company?

Vivera's primary focus is on its ZICOH and TABMELT platforms.

ZICOH is the Company's patented core medical device product in development. It's an electronic, dose-controlled, smart drug delivery device.

One of my good friends and longtime colleagues, Dr. Mehdi Hatamian, and I invented the device and technology as a potential device to help prevent prescription drug misuse while improving medication adherence.

ZICOH integrates seamlessly with ZICOH Connect™, a synchronized, cloud-based software system with strong data organization and AI capabilities. Together, they collect and aggregate real-time prescribing data and generate actionable insights to facilitate prescription medication adherence, oversight, and compliance.

Ultimately, the goal of the ZICOH medication delivery system is to provide controlled and targeted release of medications, including highly addictive and abused medications.

The ZICOH device is an example of Vivera's ongoing efforts to innovate and revolutionize the delivery of prescription medications, aiming to improve patients' lives and well-being.

TABMELT is a novel, patented, and patent-pending sublingual drug delivery system that allows patients to take medication by dissolving a tablet under the tongue, to which Vivera holds the exclusive license for pharmaceutical use. This delivery route may lead to more instantaneous and accurate absorption than oral drug delivery.

Vivera Neurosciences utilizes the TABMELT technology to expand therapies for various psychiatric and neurological conditions. The Company recently executed a Letter of Intent to enter a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), an Institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The collaboration aims to identify therapeutic agents and utilize the TABMELT delivery system for the potential treatment of stuttering disorders.

Q. With multiple divisions, Vivera is vertically integrated with patented technology, manufacturing capabilities, and distribution for its products. Can you elaborate on this a bit more?

When I co-founded Vivera, the Company was centered around non-addictive pain management solutions through its pharmaceuticals and medical device divisions. In addition to its patented technology, Vivera also has manufacturing capabilities, warehousing, and a laboratory in Southern California as well as broad distribution ranging from wholesalers, clinics, pharmacies, group purchasing organizations, and large events. Today the Company has multiple divisions, including its technologies, biosciences, advanced diagnostics, and medical supplies divisions.

Vivera Technologies and Medical Devices focus on developing advanced technologies to transform how patients receive care. This division is home to Vivera's core product line: ZICOH. Also, a part of this division is MDZone, a HIPAA-compliant telemedicine portal that allows patients to access a healthcare professional remotely.

Vivera BioSciences is focused on utilizing TABMELT to develop medications to treat various conditions, including cardiovascular, central nervous system, and fluency disorders.

Vivera Neurosciences recognizes the ever-growing needs of patients living with central nervous system conditions, such as psychiatric, fluency, and neurological disorders, and is devoted to researching and developing treatments for these conditions to enhance patients' lives and to change the narrative for providers.

Vivera Advanced Diagnostics focuses on delivering accurate diagnostic and general wellness laboratory test results to patients as quickly as possible. In addition to providing at-home and laboratory-based testing, Vivera developed LabPort, a Lab Information Management System (LIMS) developed to streamline the testing and results reporting process for laboratories and patients.

Vivera Medical Supplies was created to support healthcare professionals throughout the pandemic. There was a shortage of PPE at the beginning of the pandemic. The Company responded by offering in-stock disposable face masks that are 100% made in the USA.

Q. How do you see Vivera changing in five years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?

I envision Vivera continuing to forge a pathway for new technologies in digital health by utilizing tools like artificial intelligence and big data analytics to optimize its medical device and technology offerings.  The Company is also focused on further developing and commercializing its biopharmaceutical pipeline products. By integrating these technologies into our operations, encouraging a culture of innovation and adaptability within the organization, and aligning with strong partners, we can strengthen our position as an innovative company committed to improving patients' lives and making a meaningful impact worldwide.

We must ensure patients receive the highest standard of care and make it readily available to them. My objective is to enhance the way medications are dispensed and administered while prioritizing patient safety. By concentrating on drug delivery, we can elevate patient experiences and potentially achieve better outcomes.

Paul Edalat | Chairman, Founder, & CEO

With over 30 years of brand and product development experience in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and medical device sectors, Mr. Edalat brings a keen eye for business development and growth opportunities to Vivera. His forward-thinking management approach as CEO has seen Vivera grow from a single division at its founding to over six divisions and counting today. Visit pauledalat.com to learn more.

"My objective is to enhance the way medications are dispensed and administered while prioritizing patient safety."