Media Kit
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Our Story:
EZC Pak was created by Sarath Malepati, MD, a general surgeon concerned by rising antibiotic resistance and increasingly complex superbug infections he had been facing in California. As he began looking at the national CDC data, it became apparent that doctors around the country were facing a similar situation. Antibiotic resistance rates were 15-60% for conventional antibiotics and the number of deaths related to superbug C. diff had quadrupled in four years.
Why was this happening? As Dr. Malepati began examining the problem further, he observed that there was an excess amount of antibiotic exposure occurring through our food supply as well as a large amount of inappropriate antibiotic use occurring through the healthcare system. While antibiotic misuse occurs across hospitals and clinics daily, Dr. Malepati noticed that the inappropriate use of antibiotics in colds and flu was one of the largest areas of misuse and healthcare expenditure. In fact, per a 2014 WebMD study, 95% of US prescribers admit to writing antibiotics when unclear of their need. The #1 cited reason was patient demand. This was consistent with the CDC data, which shows that US prescribers are writing over 8 antibiotic prescriptions for every 10 Americans in the doctor's office setting alone.
Dr. Malepati recognized that the antibiotics problem was complex, fueled by factors that included: aggressive director to consumer marketing of antibiotics that patients often request by name; inadequate patient health literacy on the benefits & risks of antibiotic use; the Yelp-ification of physician reputation and fear of lost business; and a lack of tangible, evidence-based solutions to support clinicians and empower patients.
Dr. Malepati's solution was EZC Pak, a 5-day tapered immune support pack formulated based upon the best available clinical data and designed as a tangible clinical tool for healthcare providers to educate patients and reduce inappropriate antibiotic use.
About the Company:
The PPC Group is a physician-led health products team founded in 2013 focused on solving complex health problems. The company's first commercial release is EZC Pak, a physician formulated tapered immune support pack. The mission of EZC Pak is to eradicate inappropriate antibiotic use in colds, flu, & allergy, which is currently contributing to a global antibiotic resistance crisis. EZC Pak was launched in international markets in 2015 before being released in the US in 2016. EZC Pak is currently the fastest growing combination immune support pack in US retail pharmacy. EZC Pak is the winner of the 2017 & 2018 DSN Buyer's Choice Awards at the ECRM National Cough, Cold, & Allergy Conference and the 2018 & 2019 winner of the REX Award (Retail Excellence) for innovation in the OTC (over-the-counter) category. In 2019, EZC Pak was also named to DataBird Business Journal's List of Best Companies for Women.
About the Founder:
Sarath Malepati, MD is a multi-generational physician who grew up in a large house of doctors. With globe trekking international relief workers for parents, Dr. Malepati was raised in an environment that had a strong emphasis on humanitarian pursuits. He went on to study, perform research, and teach at over 15 universities nationally and internationally. At the age of 25, Dr. Malepati was the youngest faculty member at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He is a former fellow of the National Institute for Health Care Management, where his research focused on how flaws in the design of health care systems contribute to patient disease and public health problems. Dr. Malepati has worked under grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Malepati initially became exposed to the problem of drug-resistant pathogens within the nation’s hospitals in his management of complex infections requiring surgical intervention. This problem, which has become increasingly lethal, is directly related to inappropriate antibiotic prescribing patterns among clinicians. Dr. Malepati’s concern about this issue, and his desire to give medical providers a tangible solution when patients demand antibiotics led to the development of the EZC Pak, a 5-day tapered immune support pack launched in the Fall of 2016.