In clinics across the world, the speculum, a fundamental tool for women’s healthcare, has remained largely unchanged since its development in the 19th century. For Hege Hansen, a midwife with over 20 years of clinical experience, and Dr. Stine Andreasen, a gynecologist and PhD in Obstetrics, this lack of innovation in essential medical tools – from speculums to labor induction catheters –…
Digital health company Metronomic has acquired Iron Health, a tech-enabled women’s health provider that serves as an extension of OB/GYN practices. The acquisition, completed on December 30, 2024, aims to integrate Iron Health’s care delivery services with Metronomic’s Materno pregnancy management platform. Iron Health, founded in 2022, has raised $8.5M in funding since its inception and was backed by Redesign Health. The…
BillionToOne has announced that its UNITY Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) for fetal antigens is being adopted by Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) doctors in maternity health deserts, providing an alternative to weekly Doppler ultrasounds for high-risk pregnancies. The UNITY Fetal Antigen NIPT screens patients who are alloimmunized to certain antigens for hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN), a blood disorder where a…
Irish medical device company Nua Surgical has secured €6.5 million in Series A funding led by EQT Life Sciences, with participation from Kidron Capital, Texas Medical Center Venture Fund, and existing investors including Enterprise Ireland. The funding will support regulatory clearance and early commercialization of SteriCISION, the first self-retaining retractor specifically designed for Caesarean section surgeries. With over 30 million C-sections performed…
Insud Pharma has secured $2.7 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct a Phase II clinical trial for a novel sublingual oxytocin treatment aimed at preventing postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide. The innovative treatment comes in a thermostable tablet form that doesn’t require refrigeration or skilled healthcare personnel for administration,…
Vitara Biomedical, a company developing technology to transform neonatal care, has secured $50 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Sands Capital with participation from Google Ventures (GV), First Spark Ventures, Flerie and Khosla Ventures. The Philadelphia-based company, which emerged from research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), is developing a life support system that mimics the womb environment…
Freya Biosciences, a biotech company focused on women’s health, has secured a $10.4 million strategic investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with $1.4 million additional financing from EIFO (Export and Investment Fund of Denmark). The funding extends the company’s Series A to approximately $50 million. The investment will support the expansion of Freya’s DYSCOVERTM platform to develop microbial immunotherapies…
BrightHeart has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its artificial intelligence software designed for prenatal ultrasound evaluations of the fetal heart. The technology aims to support the detection of congenital heart defects (CHDs), which affect nearly 1 in 100 newborns. “Fetal heart assessments are among the most technically demanding aspects of prenatal ultrasound,” said Cécile Dupont, BrightHeart CEO and a Partner at Sofinnova…
