Issue # 111 – India’s Digital Revolution is Shaping the Future of Women’s Health Products

India, the largest democracy in the world, is rapidly positioning itself as a global leader. Being here, I can confidently say that the country is on a rapid growth, with emerging markets and impressive statistics showing the way forward.

Recent research study by FemTech India shows that the Indian market is a goldmine of opportunities for global companies and investors : 

• Largest Consumer Internet Market:
  By 2025, India is expected to surpass 1.1 billion internet users, with remarkable growth among rural residents (61.5%) and women (57%). This digital boom is transforming the way women access and purchase health products, creating a massive market for businesses to tap into.

Key Growth Insights in Women’s Health Products

India’s online health product market is flourishing:

• Sanitary Pads: 15.69 billion units sold in 2024, with 4.5 billion purchased online.

• Tampons: 3.6 billion sold, 1 billion online.

• Menstrual Cups: 600 million sold, 150 million online.

• Pregnancy Test Kits: 2.7 billion sold, 900 million online.

This surge is fueled by the rise of digital payments, with 14.4 billion UPI transactions recorded recently, highlighting increasing consumer trust in online shopping.

India’s rapid digital adoption, combined with its vast consumer base and government-backed tech infrastructure, makes it a standout destination for global investment.

📌 Read the full report here

 The future is here, and it’s in India 🇮🇳

• Vertically integrated oncology-focused startup Beta Drugs has raised Rs 117 crore from HealthQuadFund II for a minority stake in the company. The round also witnessed participation from a Singapore-based investment fund and a private wealth management firm.

• Roon, the New York-based digital health platform aiming to replace “Dr. Google,” has secured $15 million in Series A funding. The round was co-led by FirstMark Capital and Forerunner Ventures, with participation from existing investors including Sequoia Capital and TMV. The investment values the company at $65 million pre-money.
  
• Zarminali Health, a new outpatient pediatric care platform aiming to integrate primary and specialty care nationwide, has secured $40 million in seed funding led by General Catalyst. The company plans to launch its first locations  this year.
• Autoimmunity BioSolutions, a Houston, TX-based biotechnology company advancing immuno-corrective therapies, raised $2M in Seed funding.The round was led by Eos BioInnovation, with participation from Alexandria Venture Investments, Independent Capital and others.
• Doron Therapeutics, a Chapel Hill, NC-based clinical-stage biotech company focusing on degenerative musculoskeletal conditions, raised $11M in Series A funding.The round was led by SPRIM Global Investments (SGI). The company intends to use the funds to take MOTYS™ into Phase 3 clinical studies. 
• SRTD biotech, a Jülich, Germany-based biotech startup, raised an undisclosed amount in Seed funding. The round was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds alongside undisclosed business angels.
• Neoplas Med, a Greifswald, Germany-based based medical technology company, received $18M in funding.

• People whose partners have HIV must remember to take antiretroviral pills every single day or risk infection themselves. But researchers have come up with a way to avoid that daily hassle – an injectable drug that patients would only have to receive twice a year.
• A gene that causes accelerated reproductive aging is directly tied to the risk of miscarriage in younger women, a new study says. A mutation of the gene KIF18A speeds up the aging process of eggs in younger women, diminishing their fertility, researchers report.
• A gene therapy approach to boosting the placenta is safe in monkeys, according to a new, short-term study, bringing the potential treatment closer to improving birthweights of human babies and sparing them the complications of an early birth and developmental difficulties later in life.
• Certain hormone replacement therapy pills appear to increase the risk of heart disease and serious blood clots in women going through menopause, a new study says. Estrogen/progestin pills increased women’s risk of heart disease by 21% and risk of life-threatening blood clots by 61%, researchers found.
• Ultraprocessed foods have been linked to a myriad of health issues, and a new study suggests that the autoimmune skin disease psoriasis might be added to that list. “Results of this study showed an association between high ultraprocessed food intake and active psoriasis status,” concluded a team led by Dr. Emilie Sbidian, a dermatologist at the Henri-Mondor Hospital in Créteil, France.
• Folks with irregular sleep patterns might have an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke, a new study says. People who doze off and wake up at extremely varied times day by day have a 26% increased risk of a potentially fatal heart-related health emergency, results show.
• The blood-brain barrier is a natural membrane that protects your brain from toxins and germs.Unfortunately, this barrier also hampers the delivery of important medicines and therapies into the brain. But researchers now think they’ve figured out a way to get drugs past the blood-brain barrier.
• Men with heart risk factors tend to lose their brain health more quickly than women with similar heart risks, a new study finds. These men face brain decline as early as their mid-50s, while women are most susceptible from their mid-60s onward, researchers report in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
• Already the go-to drug of choice for millions with type 2 diabetes, metformin might also fight lung cancer if those patients have it as well, new research shows. Metformin appears to help boost the benefits of immunotherapy drugs used to fight lung tumors, according to a team led by Dr. Sai Yendamuri. He directs thoracic surgery at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
•  The potential health benefits of GLP-1 diabetes and weight loss meds keep piling up: New research shows they may also shield your kidneys from harm. In the largest study to date on the effects of the drugs on the kidneys, researchers found GLP-1s help the protect the organs in people with or without diabetes. 
• People with HIV can now receive a potentially life-saving kidney or liver from a donor who is also infected with the virus, according to new rules announced Tuesday by the Biden administration. According to an announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the decision was based on solid evidence that these types of transplants are both safe and effective.

• Johnson & Johnson (J&J) India announced the launch of its nationwide campaign, India Detects to Defeat, highlighting the critical role of early detection and testing in improving lung cancer outcomes. 
• Calgary-based pre-clinical stage pharmaceutical development biotechnology company, Marvel Biosciences Corporation, and its wholly owned subsidiary Marvel Biotechnology, announced additional data from its ongoing preclinical Rett syndrome study conducted in collaboration with the iBraiN Institute. Marvel also announced plans to engage with the US FDA to discuss these promising pilot results.
• Thane based SunAct Cancer Institute, has signed an agreement with Malaysian pioneers Abgentil Biomedical SDN BHD, to introduce CAR-T, TCR and TIL therapies for solid state tumours in the country. 
• Fedo.ai, an AI-driven platform revolutionizing health risk prediction and the enablement of people to understand about their health and be prepared for the emergencies, has partnered with Electronic Village, a pioneering organization dedicated to digital education and community development in the GCC region.
• Abbott has launched its pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PneumoShield 14, for children over 6 weeks of age. Its PCV-14 valent (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine), offers broad protection, covering the highest number of serotypes, or strains, as compared to existing PCV-10 and PCV-13 vaccines.
• Biocon Biologics in its ‘Embedding Specialist Nurses in Diabetes Care’ project undertaken in collaboration with Diabetes Africa and St Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College in Ethiopia has been able to develop a replicable model of upskilling nurses.
• Dr Reddy’s Laboratories has announced the launch of toripalimab in India. This is a New Biological Entity (NBE). It is the only immuno-oncology drug approved by various regulatory authorities around the world such as the US FDA, EMA, MHRA, and others for the treatment of adults with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC).

• The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) has asked all pharmacy institutions to appoint nodal officers to ensure linking student details on the scholarship portal in order to award the monthly scholarship for eligible Pharmacy Post Graduate (GPAT) students.
• The Union ministry of commerce & industry, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), has issued a notification announcing amendments to the ITC (HS) 2022, Schedule-I (Import Policy) to align with the provisions of the Finance Act 2024 (No. 2 of 2024). The revised import policy takes effect immediately.

Casual Reads:

• Yoga Helps Women Deal With the Mental Stress of Cancer. A cancer diagnosis can bring overwhelming stress and depression to women, but new research suggests yoga can help ease that emotional toll.
• Cold Plunge or Hot Bath? What’s Best for Ailing Muscles? It’s common to find a pitcher soaking their elbow in an ice bucket following a baseball game, in an effort to save their arm for tomorrow’s innings.

See you next Friday, friends 👋
Navneet

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