Shield Therapeutics plc provides an update on its preparations to launch Accrufer® in the US, confirming the Group remains on track to launch by end of June 2021. Since the fundraise in mid-March 2021, preparatory work has accelerated dramatically. There are five key workstreams underway which are addressed in turn below. Working in conjunction with a well-established contract sales organisation have designed and contracted a scalable sales team that will be working to build awareness and educate health care providers on the clinical value of Accrufer®. This sales organisation will be 100% dedicated to the promotion of Accrufer®. The company are planning to launch initially with 30 sales representatives and are now in the process of hiring them. The recruitment should be completed by early June and the representatives will then be trained and ready to promote Accrufer® at launch. The purpose of medical affairs is to provide scientific and clinical support about Accrufer® to the medical community. The company have developed the necessary materials which will be made available to healthcare professionals online and through a team of medical science liaison (MSL) employees. The company plan to run several Advisory Board meetings targeted at relevant specialists and Key Opinion Leaders. The Advisory Board meetings are planned to take place between late May and mid-July. Market access covers price setting and discounting with US payers which include private insurance plans and the Federal Medicare and Medicaid plans. It also includes mechanisms to support patients by reducing patient co-pay requirements. The headline price of a pharmaceutical product in the US is known as the Wholesaler Acquisition Cost (WAC) and for Accrufer® this has been set at $500 per pack (which contains 30 days' supply at two capsules per day) and has now been published by First Data Bank and Red Book. National Account Managers are already actively engaging payer organizations to provide their patients access to Accrufer®. This process is underway but it will take 12-18 months before have comprehensive coverage across a large proportion of payers and sales forecasts in the early months take account of this.