Funding News:
- Google for Startups Women Founders Fund empowers women-led AI startups in India, Japan, and Korea with equity-free funding and valuable Google support, fostering innovation and growth in the tech ecosystem.
- London-based startup Béa Fertility raised £2.5M in funding to launch its at-home fertility treatment in the UK. The round was led by Octopus Ventures
- Pelvital has raised $2.68M in seed funding for its novel product, Flyte, an FDA-approved, at-home intravaginal device, that delivers mechanotherapy, a proven treatment modality that rapidly and effectively strengthens pelvic floor muscles.
- Women’s health company HerMD a company which focuses on providing specialized care for women at all stages of life has raised an additional $18M in Series A funding.
FemTech News:
- New research offers a novel perspective on how social enterprises in the menstrual products industry are working to disrupt and transform these stigmatizing narratives. The research concluded that the participating organizations not only acknowledge the societal issue of menstrual stigma but place it at the heart of their missions.
- A new non-invasive endometriosis test could speed up diagnosis time and enable millions to access early treatment. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, affecting women of all ages, including teenagers.
- Global study reveals alarming mental health trends: 1 in 2 people will develop disorders in their lifetime, 50% at risk by 75. Mood disorders, like major depression and anxiety, affect diverse individuals.
- Mammography screening supported by artificial intelligence (AI) detected one-fifth more breast cancers compared with standard screening and nearly halved the screen-reading workload for radiologists.
- Compared to men, twice as many women were found to have anaemia in 2021, with the prevalence factor being more than three times during their reproductive age. Furthermore, women and children showed much slower rates of progress relative to men, the study claimed.
- Low-in-fibre intake in pregnancy could hamper the infant’s brain development. When compared to children of mothers in high-fibre intake groups, children of mothers in low-fibre intake groups were more likely to exhibit neurodevelopment delays, research proved.
FemTech India Partner Company News:
- Sirona collaborated with Delhi Youth Equity Forum and The Azadi Project, a joint mission to youth on the stages of adolescence and menstrual cycles.
- Sowmya Puttaraju, co-founder of April Cares published a thought ware on exploring research on the connection between the body and self-esteem and tools women can leverage to untangle self-power.
- Tamanna Singh, the founder of Menoveda was a guest on FemTech India’s podcast and spoke about transitioning menopause through Ayurveda.
- Humm Care is recognizing and celebrating Breastfeeding Week and is publishing a series of articles, informative cards, and Breastfeeding Workplace Friendly practices ideas.
- The Momly held an informative session on Unlocking Fertility: Freezing your eggs, with Dr Ruta to know about the menstrual cycle, ovulation, and factors affecting conception.
Global News:
- Chronic care start-up ELANZA Wellness has launched the first virtual endometriosis centre to help women and assigned female at birth individuals better manage their symptoms from home.
- Practice Better, a female-led, platform for health and wellness professionals that recently made the news for raising $27M in growth capital. the company is now putting the fresh funds to good use and acquiring That Clean Life, a Toronto-based nutrition planning software designed for health practitioners.
Government News:
- The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) has requested the Central government to recall its order permitting the import of pre-owned medical devices, a move which argued to have an adverse impact on the Make in India movement and the National Medical Devices Policy, 2023.
- The Union minister for health and family welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has launched a Make in India kit for diagnosis of haemophilia A and von Willebrand disease, developed by ICMR-National Institute of Immunohematology (ICMR-NIIH).
Research, Insights, and Market Projections:
- MediBuddy data has revealed a 49% surge in ophthalmology consultations for conjunctivitis among young adults. Most cases are linked to conjunctivitis among young adults aged between 25 and 35 years. The data reported a significant increase in the number of conjunctivitis and eye flu-related cases.
- India’s advanced wound care market is on a growth trajectory with faster healing & minimise scarring. This is where the positive acceptance of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) which uses a vacuum dressing to ensure healing in acute and chronic conditions in India is gaining popularity.
Drugs, Diagnostics, and Pharma:
- Pharmaceutical exports from the country have started the fiscal year 2023-24 with a positive note registering a growth of 10.45 per cent in April, as compared to the exports during the same month of last year. According to data from the Union ministry of commerce and industry, the exports of drugs and pharmaceuticals during April, 2023 was at around $2.28 billion, as compared to around $2.07 billion in the same month of previous year. Interestingly, the growth in April, 2022 as compared to the approximately $1.9 billion exports reported in April, 2021, was also close to 10 per cent.
- Pristyn Care, a leading healthcare provider in India, has introduced AI and ML-enabled enhanced electronic medical record (EMR) system designed especially for surgeons. The EMR developed by Pristyn Care’s technology team has also leveraged advanced predictive analytics to provide valuable patient insights, enabling doctors to identify high-risk patients more effectively.
- To drive the message of educating nurses on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and Infection Prevention Control (IPC), Pfizer India, in collaboration with Trained Nurses Association (TNAI) and Americares India Foundation recently conducted a day-long workshop on the occasion of International Nurses Day.
Jobs on Board:
- Allo is looking for a Business Development Representative. Allo is India’s first digital health clinic for sexual wellbeing.
- Elda Health is looking for an SEO Intern. Elda is a digital wellness platform for women.
