ASX Health Stocks: HITIQ signs two-year deal with UK Rugby Football League

HITIQ signs with UK rugby league
Recce receives ethics approval to commence Phase 1/2 trial
Healius appoints new CEO

HITIQ Limited (ASX: HIQ) rose 8% this morning after announcing a two-year commercial agreement with UK’s Rugby Football League (RFL), the premier professional rugby league competition in the northern hemisphere.

Under the deal, HITIQ’s Nexus Impact Sensors will be made available to limited RFL players across the 2023-24 season.

The technology will cover 100 male and female players over two years, with the data collected to provide valuable insights to improve player welfare in the RFL.

The aim is to improve player wellness by monitoring player head impacts in both training and competition.

Revenue to be generated under the agreement represents less than 15% of HITIQ’s operating revenues reported for the year ended 30 June.

“We are very pleased to expand our presence into the northern hemisphere with a strong league like the RFL,” said HITIQ CEO, Mike Vegar.

“Rugby has an immediate need for our technology, and we are pleased to be in a position to help facilitate the transition to a progressive approach for player health and wellbeing.”

This announcement came following HITIQ’s partnership with the English Premier League in November.

The Premier League selected HITIQ’s CSX Concussion Assessment Technology to cover the 20 League teams and associated academies, and will use the technology as part of the process of assessing head injuries.

Recce to start Phase I/II clinical trial

Recce Pharma (ASX:RCE) has received Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval to start its Phase I/II clinical trial assessing R327 as a spray-on for mild skin and soft tissue diabetic foot infections (DFI).

The trial will be held at the South West Sydney Limb Preservation and Wound Research Unit, located at the Ingham Institute of Medical Research.

The study will assess safety and efficacy of R327 in up to 32 patients, with the first patients expected to be dosed in Q1 2023.

Seperate studies in the US have shown that between 14-24% of patients with diabetes who develop a foot ulcer will require an amputation, and foot ulceration precedes 85% of diabetes-related amputations.

Moreover, the total medical costs for treating diabetic foot diseases in the US is US$9-13 billion every year.

“The research indicates that RECCE 327 may be effective in treating patients with diabetic foot infections. The team hopes that its early promise is fulfilled in this study in our patients,” said principal investigator, Professor Dickson.

Healius has a new CEO

Healius (ASX:HLS) announced the stepping down of its CEO Dr Malcolm Parmenter, and the appointment of Maxine Jaquet, the current CFO and COO, to the role effective 1 March 2023.

Dr Parmenter has been CEO since September 2017, and Jaquet joined Healius and its leadership team in 2015, and has been CFO since 2019, and CFO and COO since 2021.

“Maxine will hit the ground running given the pivotal role she has played in leading the portfolio reshaping, refocusing Healius as a diagnostics operator, divesting medical centres, and her contribution to fortifying the balance sheet, improving cash generation and structurally improving margins,” said Healius’ chairperson, Jenny Macdonald.