Santa Fe, N.M.-based startup Quel Health announced its launch Tuesday, in what executives say is the “first national telehealth company” built around using GLP-1 medications for addiction treatment.
Quel Health’s platform allows patients to connect with affiliated providers through video evaluations, individualized treatment plans and ongoing care support. Providers prescribe off-label use of GLP-1s when clinically appropriate, and executives note the medication has not been approved for substance use indications by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
More than 50 clinical trials examining GLP-1s for addiction are currently registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, according to the company.
Quel Health was founded by epidemiologist Marlene C. Lira and physician-scientist Steven D. Klein, M.D., Ph.D., bringing together expertise in telehealth, substance use, clinical care and emerging GLP-1 therapies. The company says it's bringing an accessible, private and human-centered approach to what it calls "dopamine health."
“We live in a society in which our dopamine networks are sold to the highest bidder,” Lira, Quel Health co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “We've built entire industries on the deliberate exploitation of the reward system, and then we treat the resulting conditions as separate diseases in separate clinics with separate specialists. Quel exists because we think that framing is incomplete, and because the science is finally filling in the gaps.”
The platform also partners with treatment organizations and recovery residences, including Caron Treatment Centers as a founding strategic partner.
“Caron is committed to advancing thoughtful, evidence-informed approaches to addiction treatment,” said Steven Wall, Caron Treatment Centers interim president and CEO, in a statement. “Our relationship with Quel reflects an interest in evaluating how emerging treatment approaches may responsibly expand access to care. Because the use of GLP-1 medications for substance use disorders remains investigational and off-label, rigorous clinical oversight, informed consent, and continued research are essential.”
Quel Health is available in 41 states and Washington, D.C., with plans to expand nationally by the end of the year, the company says. Customized treatment plans begin at $149 per month following a free consultation, the company says. Quel Health is cash-pay only.