Shortening the time to treatment

Robin and Joyce speak with Zoe Barry, Founder and CEO of ZappRx, a secure collaborative online platform that allows patients, physicians and pharmacists to work together to improve patients’ access to treatment for rare and orphan diseases.

Barry’s younger brother was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. She became witness to the real struggles facing patients and caregivers in such situations. Due to delays (on average, patients wait 6-8 weeks to receive therapy) in acquiring proper medication and therapy, Barry and her parents saw his condition worsen and lead to other problems, such as learning disabilities. As Barry dug deeper, she realized this problem was not unique to her family.

“I became obsessed with prescription workflows,” she told me. “I couldn’t escape it.”

After leaving her job at Athena Health, Barry raised friends and family funding and focused on creating a platform to close gaps between doctors, patients and pharmacists.