Merck subsidiary acquires Teqqa, an infectious disease analytics firm

ILÚM Health Solutions, an infectious disease management business has acquired Teqqa LLC for an undisclosed amount.

"This acquisition helps reinforce ILÚM’s vision to transform the way hospitals manage infectious diseases," said ILÚM Managing Director Paul Edwards. "The acquisition strengthens ILÚM’s ability to help hospitals efficiently target patients and accelerate time to appropriate interventions; efficiently and consistently track performance, prescribing and patient outcomes; and enhance timely communication and clinical collaboration within the workflow," reports ROI-NJ.

ILÚM, created by Merck’s Healthcare Services and Solutions division, is collaborating with health care providers to improve infectious disease outcomes through the use of clinical decision support and electronic patient data, as well as tech-enabled solutions to facilitate antimicrobial stewardship programs and sepsis management, according to a release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the country faces 2 million illnesses, 23,000 deaths and $35 billion in lost productivity each year — all attributable to antibiotic resistance.

Teqqa, based in Wyoming, has deep experience working with hospitals to implement disease surveillance solutions and turn lab and medication data into actionable information.

"In antibiotic stewardship, our ultimate goal is to make sure the right patients get the right antibiotic at the right time," said Dr. Keith Hamilton, associate health care epidemiologist and director of Antimicrobial Stewardship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, which has been collaborating with Teqqa since 2014.

"These solutions make previously unavailable data useable at the point of prescription," Hamilton said. "Our clinicians now have data at their fingertips to help them make the most appropriate decisions when it matters most. We look forward to collaborating with ILÚM to further validate how these solutions support the best possible outcomes for our patients."