Amara Therapeutics, a medical technology start-up based in Ireland, has introduced BladderBoss as its latest product. BladderBoss is an 8-week program that combines CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) , bladder training and pelvic health pilates to assist women in managing their overactive bladder (OAB). Current treatment options for OAB involve medications, bladder botox injections, and neuro-stimulation implants. However, these methods can be invasive and often lead to side effects.
BladderBoss was developed by Amara Therapeutics, who have recently announced a €3M funding round to invest in further product development and expand its solution to other indications in the pelvic and bladder health space, which may require FDA approval. According to coverage by The Irish Times the funding is split, with €1.5M coming from Enterprise Ireland, the Western Development Commission and a group of private investors, and €1.5M from the State’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, a previously announced non-dilutive investment. Amara Therapeutics was founded in 2021 by Brendan Staunton, Dr Emma Carr and Prof Geoffrey Cundiff.
Stauntan shared in an interview: “Digital health is a pretty expensive space to innovate in and to commercialize. It was really a good time for it, first that we were able to get the grant, as it was a competitive process, and secondly [that] it aligned with what our strategy was for the next 24 months in terms of getting more clinical data and for developing our product.”
Prof Cundiff, a urogynecologist adds: “Overactive bladder is just our initial target condition. We plan to have a series of other products targeting a range of pelvic and bladder health conditions for women available in the near term. One in three women will suffer from a pelvic and bladder health condition in their lifetime and it is our mission to ensure every woman has access to affordable and effective first-line treatments.”
