// January
In January, health systems and startups like Babyscripts are using technology to improve pregnancy care for low-income patients on Medicaid, making it more accessible and equitable.
For low-income patients, the challenges of pregnancy are only compounded by the challenges of prenatal care: the dozen or so doctors’ appointments, the time off work or childcare, the cost of parking and public transit.
// February
In February, AI-driven breast cancer diagnostic PDxBr gains approval in New York, women’s health startups are poised for growth, AstraZeneca’s Forxiga gets expanded approval for heart failure treatment in Europe, Samsung adds menstrual cycle tracking to Galaxy Watch5, a telehealth program at the Medical University of South Carolina supports pregnant and postpartum women, and Dr. Reddy’s acquires Mayne Pharma’s U.S. women’s health portfolio for $90 million.
With Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program assay validation, the company's Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified lab can begin testing patient samples.
Francesca de Quesada Covey, chief investment officer at investment firm TheVentureCity, believes the women’s health sector will come into its own in the next few years. She said startups focused on improving care delivery will probably have the easiest time raising funds of all the companies in the femtech space.
The drug, known as Farxiga in the U.S., gained a nod in Europe to treat patients suffering from heart failure with any type of left ventricular ejection fraction, including mildly reduced and preserved.
Samsung Galaxy Watch5 users will soon be able to access temperature-based menstrual cycle tracking through the Cycle Tracking feature. This new capability was developed in partnership with Natural Cycles, a women’s health company and app maker, and marks the first time Natural Cycles’ algorithm has been adapted for a smartwatch.
The program is called Listening to Women and Pregnant and Postpartum People, or LTWP. The technology vendors are REDCap and Twillio. It's a mid-maturity program that is responding to behavioral health needs of pregnant women, and has recently expanded to newborn virtual home visitation for all mothers with births in the hospital.
In acquiring Mayne Pharma’s U.S. portfolio, Dr. Reddy’s gains a birth control pill whose rapid sales growth is attributed to a direct-to-consumer marketing strategy. The deal also includes pipeline products and approved products that are not yet on the market.
// March
In October, Cannabotech’s OncoRix improved breast cancer treatment effectiveness in an ex-vivo model, showing promise for personalized care.
The ex-vivo model is based on a unique technology developed at the Weizmann Institute, and it can predict oncological treatment success and personalize the right treatment for each patient
// April
In April, Junshi’s PARP inhibitor succeeded in an ovarian cancer trial, Novo Nordisk partnered for cell therapies in diabetes and obesity, and researchers explored IVG technology to create human eggs. AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi-Lynparza combo showed positive results in ovarian cancer treatment.
Junshi Biosciences has established its credentials as the next challenger for the increasingly congested Chinese PARP inhibitor market. A phase 3 trial of the candidate hit its primary endpoint, setting Junshi up to compete with products including AstraZeneca and Merck & Co.’s Lynparza for the ovarian cancer space.
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk will pay $75 million as part of a new collaboration with a Canadian biotechnology startup that aims to create cell therapies for diabetes and obesity.
Christian Kramme grew up in a big family, the youngest of seven kids raised in California’s Santa Clarita Valley. By the time he moved across the country to do a PhD in George Church’s lab at Harvard, his siblings were already trying to start families of their own. And some of them were struggling. So when Church, the legendary geneticist and cell engineer, asked Kramme what he wanted to work on, he decided to swing big; he wanted to make eggs. Human eggs. From scratch.
The combination treatment of AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi (durvalumab) and Lynparza (olaparib) met its primary endpoint in the Phase III DUO-O trial in advanced high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer, according to an interim analysis of the study released Wednesday.
// May
In May, women’s healthcare provider Tia is expanding its mental health services with “Groups” and “Coaching” programs, aiming to offer comprehensive care for women.
Tia combines virtual and in-person care for various women's health needs, including primary and gynecological care and wellness services. The company offers mental health assessments through its primary care visits.
// June
In June, the FDA rejected Clovis Oncology’s bid for cancer drug Rubraca’s approval, citing the need for survival data from a future study. AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi-Lynparza combo extended progression-free survival by five months in advanced ovarian cancer patients without BRCA mutations, reducing the risk of progression or death by 37%.
Six months after filing for bankruptcy, Clovis Oncology was hoping for a last gasp win for fading cancer drug Rubraca. But the FDA has rejected the company’s bid for approval of the PARP inhibitor as a first-line maintenance treatment for ovarian cancer patients who have responded to a round of chemotherapy.
Interim data released at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting on Saturday showed the addition of AstraZeneca'‘s Imfinzi (durvalumab) and Lynparza (olaparib) to the treatment regimen for patients with advanced ovarian cancer without BRCA mutations extended progression-free survival by five months.
// July
In July, Fresenius Kabi launched a generic fertility drug, Ganirelix Acetate Injection. Data privacy concerns in FemTech and the FDA’s approval of an over-the-counter birth control pill were notable. HerMD secured $18 million in funding to transform women’s healthcare.
Fresenius Kabi announced today it has launched Ganirelix Acetate Injection, a generic fertility drug, as part of the company’s expansion in women’s health. Ganirelix Acetate Injection is available immediately from Fresenius Kabi in 250 mcg/0.5 mL prefilled syringes.
As we observe a year since the Dobbs decision, people seeking reproductive health care in the U.S. face new threats to their privacy and access to their personal health. One of the biggest concerns for reproductive health is data privacy: how data collected from patients could be used to penalize anyone considering or seeking an abortion, along with tracking health care providers who provide care.
When the Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever over-the-counter daily birth control pill this month, Frederique Welgryn breathed a giant sigh of relief for all the reasons you might expect.
HerMD, a Cincinnatti, OH-based female-founded physician-led women’s health provider committed to revolutionizing women’s healthcare secures $18M in an oversubscribed Series A-1 round led by existing investor JAZZ, with participation from B-Flexion and Amboy Street Ventures. This new investment brings HerMD’s total funding to nearly $30M.
// August
In August, the article discusses how AI in healthcare, particularly in women’s health, faces challenges due to historical data biases and limited sex-based data analysis in clinical trials.
“We propose that a 2 month, 10 man study of artificial intelligence be carried out during the summer of 1956 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.” One of the first uses of the term “artificial intelligence” came in this 1955 proposal for a summer research project. At that point, artificial intelligence (AI) was still a relatively young development in society: one that wouldn’t enter healthcare for another 20 years.
// September
In September, Deloitte found that women face higher medical costs and receive less benefit value than men.
Women face greater medical costs than men and, as such, are getting significantly less value out of their benefits, according to a new analysis from Deloitte.
// October
In October, SA Health launched Australia’s first virtual gynaecological service, offering pregnant women video assessments to reduce hospital visits.
The virtual service catering to gynaecological concerns is said to be a first in Australia. This allows women experiencing pain or bleeding in early pregnancy to no longer present and wait in an emergency department "during such a challenging time," SA Health said in a statement.
// November
In November, First Lady Jill Biden launched an initiative to improve U.S. funding for women’s health research with support from Northwestern University experts.
First lady Jill Biden will now lead a new initiative announced Monday to improve how the U.S. federal government funds health research about women, who historically have been and currently still are underrepresented in medical research.
// December
A global review in December found that about one in three new mothers, roughly 40 million women, experience lasting health issues after childbirth, highlighting the need for better recognition and care for postnatal problems.
More than 40 million women a year experience lasting health issues after childbirth, a global review has found, prompting calls for greater recognition of common postnatal problems.