India Funding News:
- Mumbai-headquartered femtech startup Gynoveda has raised $10 million in a Series A round led by India Alternative Fund. The round also saw participation from RPG Ventures, Wipro Enterprises, and Alteria Capital, with existing investor Fireside Ventures.
- Bengaluru-based healthtech SaaS startup HealthPlix has raised $22 Mn in a mix of equity and debt funding in its Series C funding round.
- Health tech startup DocPlix has raised Rs 5 crore in its Pre-Series A round led by Eris Lifesciences with the participation of other angel investors.
- LifeSigns iMS , Chennai-based health-tech startup that is developing a digital wireless patient monitoring solution platform for ambulatory, inpatient, and home care settings, has raised an undisclosed amount in a pre-series A funding round.
Global Funding:
- Women’s healthcare platform Iron Health, which allows obstetrician-gynecologists to connect their patients with primary and other specialty care, launched alongside a $4.5 million seed investment.
- California-based venture capital firm, Amboy Street Ventures, has closed its debut US$20m fund to support femtech and sexual health start-ups.
- Berlin-based startup theblood has raised close to €1M in pre-seed funding to advance research on menstrual blood analysis and biomarkers as well as the development of a non-invasive blood at-home test that helps menstruators monitor their health.
FemTech News:
- Niramai Health Analytix launched the Mobile Screening Van as a product. Kotal Life and Nana Palkar Trust supported the launch, and the inauguration was done by Dr. Rajendra Badwe – Director of Tata Memorial Centre.
- Roche Diagnostics India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cancer Awareness Prevention and Early Detection Trust (CAPED), towards tackling cervical cancer in the country and to increase the screening for cervical cancer.
- Manipal Hospitals launched an exclusive women-focused platform called ManipalSakhi. As part of this brand initiative, Manipal Hospital Hebbal organized a rally to raise awareness about women’s health.
- Mylo, a leading one-stop pregnancy and parenting solution, conducted a survey with over 4600 women across India. When asked about how they find tips and resources on parenting and childcare, 61 per cent of women reported relying on mobile apps, social media and online parenting forums, due to instant access to the information and more personalised responses from peers.
Global Companies:
- Digital health and biotech firms made up a substantial part of Silicon Valley Bank’s client base. And its historic failure is raising troubling questions about how much the fallout will hurt emerging health companies in need of capital.
- Dubai resident launches innovative app for expectant mothers Mamahood – One of standout features is a round-the-clock safe and secure live chat that connects women with licensed health advisers for personalised guidance.
- Telus Communications has announced free access to counselling services for Canadian women in need of mental health support. The services will offer direct access to counselling provided by registered mental health professionals in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.
FemTech India Partner Company News:
- The Momly offered a free workshop on Antenatal care for pregnant women and covered topics on WHO recommendations, and how to be a confident mom.
- On the occasion of Women’s Day Sirona Hygiene conducted a webinar for all the women employees at the Good Glamm Group to explain the usage of menstrual cups and also gifted Sirona Menstrual cups and other period products to 200 employees.
- Newmi Care’s founder Aditi Mittal shared her story with Enso Wellness founder Arouba Kabir on her battle with cancer on the occasion of women’s day.
- Shruti Chand, founder of Naarica was a part of a discussion on the circular economy ecosystem as a part of the Startup Grind.
- Sirona Hygiene became the first D2C brand in its category to offer ESOP buybacks. Sirona Also visited SPAR India store in MG Raod, Gurgaon to discuss intimate health products to female customers and employees.
Drugs, Diagnostics, and Pharma:
- Pfizer has agreed to acquire biotech company Seagen for a total enterprise value of US$43bn to accelerate innovation in cancer care.The pharma giant and the cancer innovator Seagen have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Pfizer will spend US$229 in cash per Seagen share for a total enterprise value of US$43bn.
- Eli Lilly announced the launch of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Copellor (Ixekizumab) in India for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy, as well as treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis.A humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody, Copellor (Ixekizumab) is designed to specifically target IL-17A, a protein that plays a role in triggering and maintaining inflammation in psoriasis.
Government News:
- The Union health ministry has amended the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules (NDCTR), 2019 to include additional testing methods under the non-clinical studies to assess the safety and efficacy of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), the adult cells that are genetically reprogrammed to have an embryonic stem cell-like potential.Bringing safety and efficacy standard tests for iPSCs into the regulations is expected to help the research and development in the field of regenerative medicines in the country.
- Karnataka government to have a new lifesciences cluster. Known as the Bengaluru Lifesciences Research (BLR) District it is planned as a 52-acre campus with a total development of 2.5 million square feet. It will be an integrated, self-sustained cluster with state-of-the-art infrastructure for R&D and manufacturing.
Research, Insights, and Market Projections:
- Forty per cent of US employers have introduced fertility benefits in their offerings last year, up from 30 per cent in 2020, a survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans has revealed.The survey, which examined benchmarking data from more than 500 US businesses, has found 28 per cent of respondents said they cover fertility medications, up from 24 per cent in 2020 and a notable increase from 14 per cent in 2018 and eight per cent in 2016.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) released an updated WHO health workforce support and safeguards list, identifying 55 countries as vulnerable for availability of health workers required to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal target for universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends HIV self-testing (HIVST) as an important approach to address gaps in HIV diagnoses among key populations (sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs, and people in prisons other closed settings).
Jobs on Board:
- Kindly is looking for a Performance Marketing Specialist. Kindly is Asia’s only diagnostics-first platform for sexual care and performance health.
- Elda Health is looking for a Marketing and SEO Intern. Elda is a digital wellness platform for women.
