“Men in general have been playing golf for a longer time – in those old boy networks we still haven’t tapped into.” It may seem far-fetched, but that is put forward as a reason for underinvestment in women’s health companies. The argument goes that women heading women’s health startups find it hard to raise money because their networks are weaker, making it harder to tap into investment networks.
Although the causes of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are unclear, researchers know this condition leads to endometrial dysfunction in women who have hormonal imbalances, and insulin resistance. Now, a study led by scientists at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has revealed the cellular and genetic differences that distinguish this disorder in the first atlas of the human endometrium during the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle.
Calla Lily Clinical Care Ltd. secured £1 million (US$1.3 million) in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research to begin clinical trials of Callavid, a drug delivery technology which treats women at risk of miscarriage.
Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd. announced that it will sell off two more of its subsidiaries, Sumitomo Pharma (China) Co. Ltd. and Sumitomo Pharma Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (and their subsidiaries), to Marubeni Global Pharma Corp. April 1, as the Japanese pharma continues restructuring efforts from last year.
“The nation’s scientific enterprise is being decimated.” That statement in an open letter “to the American people” signed by 1,800 members of the U.S. National Academies, is made concrete in a list of 709 NIH grants – and counting – that have been axed since President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20. A grant tracker, based on information published by the Department of Health and Human Sciences, and self-reported terminations from scientists, includes 88 vaccine-related projects, 45 cancer research grants and 231 awards made for HIV research.
Acrivon Therapeutics Inc. provided updated phase II data for checkpoint kinase candidate ACR-368, highlighting promising response rates for biomarker-positive patients with endometrial cancer and raising the possibility of an accelerated pathway in the second-line setting.
Resilia Inc., dba Uresta, raised $3 million to launch its device to stop stress urinary incontinence in women. The flexible, insertable device braces the bladder and compresses the urethral passage to reduce or eliminate leakage during exercise, when coughing or laughing or when a woman just doesn’t want to worry about it. BDC Capital led the funding with a $1.5 million investment.
Acrivon Therapeutics Inc. provided updated phase II data for checkpoint kinase candidate ACR-368, highlighting promising response rates for biomarker-positive patients with endometrial cancer and raising the possibility of an accelerated pathway in the second-line setting.
After scrapping plans for an IPO in 2022, Hinge Health Inc. is taking a more favorable view of going public given the increased support seen for health care and med-tech stocks in recent months. The San Francisco-based company, a digital provider of physical therapy services, filed a form S-1 with the U.S. SEC stating it plans to offer an unspecified number of shares of class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange this year.
Cosette Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced plans to acquire Adelaide, Australia-based Mayne Pharma Pty Ltd. for AU$672 million (US$430 million) to grow its women’s health and dermatology franchise in the U.S. Under terms, Cosette, of Bridgewater, N.J., will acquire 100% of Mayne’s shares at AU$7.40 per share in cash. The price represents a 37% premium to Mayne’s closing share price on Feb. 20. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025.