Indian Funding:
- MediBuddy, a digital healthcare platform, has raised an additional $18 million in funding from its existing investors—Quadria Capital, Lightrock, and TEAMFund.
- Women’s wellness brand Inaari has raised Rs 4 crore in funding from health and wellness e-commerce platform HyugaLife to further develop its product range and strengthening the presence in its market.
Global Funding:
- Delphinus Medical Technologies, a pioneer in dense breast medical imaging, has secured $12M in growth capital from Trinity Capital. The funding will accelerate the adoption of their SoftVue 3D Whole Breast Tomography System, which enhances early breast cancer detection.
- Israel-based Nevia Bio has raised $3.1M in seed funding to accelerate its mission to revolutionize the early detection of diseases affecting women. The startup specializes in developing machine learning algorithms capable of identifying early indicators of women’s health issues, such as ovarian cancer.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted $24M for the establishment of Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence. This initiative is part of the NIH’s Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) project.
FemTech News:
- Fewer than two per cent of women of reproductive age in Denmark receive an endometriosis diagnosis, researchers have found. Endometriosis, a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other places of the body, affects roughly 10 percent (190 million) of women and girls globally.
- WHO data shows that an estimated 1.3 million women and girls living with HIV become pregnant each year, globally. In the absence of intervention, the rate of transmission of HIV from a mother living with HIV to her child during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding ranges from15%-45%
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One in five women reported experiencing mistreatment during pregnancy and delivery care, a new report has found. It showed that women with no insurance or public insurance at the time of delivery experienced more mistreatment during maternity care than women with private insurance.
- At least one in three women will experience a pelvic floor disorder in her lifetime, with one in four over the age of 20 suffering from pelvic floor symptoms.
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Women experiencing poor mental health may be at a 50 per cent greater risk of giving birth preterm, researchers have found. The study found that one in 10 who had used mental health services before their pregnancy had a preterm birth. This was compared to one in 15 in those who had not.
- A recent study revealed clear links between mental health disorders, cannabis use, and Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). Women with mood, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorders, as well as a history of personality disorders, were more likely to use cannabis and develop CUD.
- India’s mental healthcare landscape paints a complex picture, rife with challenges. Currently in India, mental disorders contribute nearly 15 per cent to the global burden and have become a primary cause of non-fatal disease burden for about 14 percent of the population. This burden has witnessed a disconcerting rise, nearly doubling its share in the total disease burden since 1990.
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A team of surgeons has performed the first womb transplant in the UK, giving a woman who was born without a functioning womb the possibility of getting pregnant and carrying her own baby.
FemTech India Partner Company News:
- Allo Health and Laqshya Media were jointly awarded a recognition for their Sexual Health Wellness Campaign at the e4m IMA South Indian Marketing Awards 2023.
- HempStreet organized a free medical camp along with Ayusphere Ayurveda and Panchakarma clinic in Maharashtra, in the month of August 2023.
- Miror Wellness kick-started the Meet and Greet events at India’s first Menopausal Lounge.
- Sirona Hygiene Foundation successfully provided 700 individuals in last mile villages in the hills with menstrual cups in a span of 3 days through 8 focused training sessions.
Global News:
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Skincare brand Elemis has partnered with beauty tech company Perfect Corp to introduce a new technology to help customers find their ideal skincare regimen.
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Maven Clinic, a leader in virtual women’s and family healthcare, and March for Moms, announced a fellowship. These fellowships mark a commitment to advancing maternal health care, specifically focusing on holistic care models that cater to the needs of Black and Indigenous women.
- Paris-based femtech company Sonio has received FDA 510(k) Regulatory Class II clearance for its product, Sonio Detect. Sonio’s technology aims to revolutionize the landscape of prenatal ultrasounds by offering an easy to use, manufacturer agnostic tool.
- Movano Health has submitted a 510(k) premarket notification to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first commercial product, Evie Ring.
Drugs, Diagnostics, and Pharma:
- Embark Laboratories announced that Novo Nordisk has acquired Embark Biotech, including its lead metabolic programme, and has entered a three-year research and development collaboration to discover and develop novel pharmaceuticals to treat obesity and related co-morbidities.
- Atsena Therapeutics, a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on bringing the life-changing power of genetic medicine to reverse or prevent blindness, announced the first patient has been dosed in its phase I/II clinical trial.
- Thryve Digital Health, a leading provider of technology and operations expertise to some of the United States’ most prestigious integrated healthcare service networks, has extended its support to Aarohi Blood Center through its ‘Thryve for Good’ initiative.
- Mankind Pharma unveiled the introduction of 120 drug master file (DMF) quality medicines in the Indian market. Committed to delivering exceptional healthcare solutions at affordable rates, Mankind Pharma’s initiative aims to ensure universal access to medicines of international calibre.
Government News:
- The Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) is all set to make Non Conviction Certificates (NCC) and Performance Certificates (PC) for pharma companies available online from September 2023 onwards with the successful completion of their trial runs.
- The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), a technology business incubator at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences. Both institutions have come together with a shared vision to drive transformational advancements in healthcare technologies.
- The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is collecting fee details for pharmacy courses from pharmacy institutions and state governments in order to provide the data to the Union health ministry in connection with framing of the National Fee Regulation Committee.
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases found the presence of the metals molybdenum and vanadium along with sulfate—a collection of mineral salts—in the US municipal water system was associated with an increased incidence of NTM pulmonary infections, the leading cause of drinking-water associated illnesses.
Research, Insights, and Market Projections:
- Certain gastrointestinal problems, such as difficulty swallowing, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), may be associated with the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study.
- Researchers led by microbiologist Jarrod Smith from the University of Oregon have unveiled how beneficial gut bacteria actively sense and respond to the mucus lining of the gut. This newfound insight sheds light on the delicate balance of the gut microbiome and its implications for health.
- Exposure to microplastics induced behavioural changes in mice akin to dementia in humans, according to researchers. The exposure also caused changes to proteins in liver and brain tissues that determine an individual’s immune function.
Jobs on Board:
- Allo Health is looking for a Content Writer – Intern. Allo Health is India’s first digital health clinic for sexual well-being.
- Newmi is looking for an Area Sales Manager. Newmi is India’s first omnichannel focussed on Women health and wellness.
- Rocket Health is looking for a psychologist. Rocket Health is mental health and wellness platform which is building healthcare experience for young India.
- AprilCares Health is looking for a product and content management staff. AprilCares Health is a personalized mental health self-care app.
