Indian Funding
- Mamma Miya, a FemTechIndia partner company which is the world’s first planner app that helps busy moms organize life and live more intentionally, has raised its seed funding from a Singapore-based angel investor.
- Manipal Group’s family office has offered to infuse Rs 1,000 in API Holdings, which owns online pharmacy PharmEasy. PharmEasy is a multinational e-pharmacycompany that sells medicines, diagnostics and telehealth online
Global Funding
- Femtech startup Kindred, founded by Jessica de Mesa and medtech entrepreneur Abetina Valenzuela has now secured $1M in seed funding elevating the company’s valuation to $6 million within just one year since its establishment.
- Fertifa, a London-based startup, helping European businesses to provide fertility and reproductive health benefits to employees has recently raised £5M in funding from Notion Capital and Triple Point Ventures. The round saw participation from a host of angel investors.
FemTech News:
- Menopausal hormone therapy, used to relieve menopausal symptoms like hot flushes and night sweats, is associated with an increased rate of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, even though no causal relationship has been established, new research has said.
- One in three working women are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, new figures have shown. Research points to one in six of us struggling with mental health, up from one in 10 prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The survey found that 54 per cent of women “plough on ” regardless of symptoms and only one in five reveal the real reason for their need for time off. Unwilling to speak up, 24 per cent suffer from insomnia, 28 per cent from depression and 50 per cent experience anxiety that their employer is not aware of, the research has found.
Menstruation does not receive the necessary attention, a new Spanish study has found. More than half of the women surveyed in a study, claim to not have known how to manage their first period. - Scientists have described a new category of depression, labelled the cognitive biotype, characterised by patients’ inability to plan ahead, display self-control, sustain focus despite distractions and suppress inappropriate behaviour.
- Prioritizing Women’s Mental Health in The Corporate World Is Important. Recognizing mental health challenges, such as worry, anxiety, stress, and depression, in women employed in the corporate sector holds immense significance for their well-being and the overall productivity of the organization.
- Reproductive healthcare is an essential part of women’s health and rights, and technological advancements have the potential to completely transform the industry. Reproductive health and healthcare are becoming more complex and nuanced, raising ethical and security needs.
- Digital health in need of disruptive regulation. Digital Health will disrupt the healthcare and life sciences domain. Digital Health has come a long way; now, ‘software is a drug’ and ‘Software is a medical device’, and India has the potential to emerge as the world’s leading provider of digital health solutions.
FemTech India Partner Company News:
- The Momly is curating a series of exclusive videos to empower women and their health. In the current series, Deepali – an expert has shared her views on making a successful comeback after a maternity break.
- AprilCares Health was part of the WeWork India roadshow in Bengaluru and had meaningful conversations with women and designed unique pathways backed by behavioural science and psychological skills.
- Elda Health has revamped its app and now offers personalized care plans designed for each and every user’s needs, along with a custom nutrition plan, and yoga plans.
- FemVed’s experts Dr. Mounika Buduru and Khyati Chheda offered insights on the energy of movement, creativity, and transformation regarding the Ayurvedic doshas and specifically about dosha imbalance during menstruation.
- HealthQRehab has recently launched a series called “Lymphedema Prevention Program Video Series”.
Global Companies:
- A Cyprus-based Soula femtech start-up has partnered up with Google to provide pregnancy and parenting support. Soula will use the tech giant’s Med-PaLM, a large language model (LLM) designed to generate answers to medical questions, to offer women pregnancy, postpartum and maternity support via its “AI-powered” assistant.
- The US family-building benefits provider Kindbody has launched its in-house genetic testing division.Kindlabs will offer a genetic testing platform, from wet lab chemistry to software and bioinformatics, hoping to provide medical-grade genetic tests to democratise access to genomic information.
- Australia has opened its first free public egg and sperm bank in Victoria in a bid to reduce barriers to starting a family. The bank at the Royal Women’s Hospital, located in the Melbourne suburb of Parkville, has begun accepting egg and sperm donations from eligible Victorians.
Drugs, Diagnostics, and Pharma:
- Biocon Biologics, a subsidiary of Biocon announced the deal closure of Viatris that commenced in November 2022. This marks the first wave of countries where Viatris’ operations have fully transitioned to Biocon Biologics. The Bengaluru-based company has completed the integration of the acquired biosimilars business in over 70 countries in emerging markets effective July 1, 2023.
Government News:
- The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow into the pharmaceutical industry has registered a growth of 45.4 per cent in the fiscal year ended March 2023, as compared to the inflow in the previous fiscal year. The foreign equity investment has crossed $2 billion during the fiscal year, according to official data.
- Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has categorically said that the Indian government has adopted a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy on spurious medicines. The Central government has shut 18 drug manufacturing plants and issued show cause notices to 17 plants for non-compliance to quality based on the risk-based assessment of 150 pharmaceutical companies
Research, Insights, and Market Projections :
- Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have been helping biopharmaceutical companies overcome some of the challenges associated with drug research and development. This is through streamlining and accelerating the process of identifying the most promising drug candidates for specific target illnesses, according to experts.
- The Internet can never replace the expertise and guidance of a qualified medical practitioner. Consulting a doctor ensures that you receive the appropriate care based on your individual needs and circumstances, according to experts. In today’s world, with the internet readily available, many people believe they have a doctor at their disposal. However, this approach is misguided and can have serious consequences.
Jobs on Board:
- Newmi is looking for a social media specialist. Newmi is India’s first omnichannel focused on women’s health and wellness.
- iMumz is looking for an Area Sales Manager. iMumz is the fastest-growing platform for Indian pregnant women.
