The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zurzuvae (zuranolone), the first oral medication indicated to treat postpartum depression (PPD) in adults. PPD is a major depressive episode that typically occurs after childbirth but can also begin during the later stages of pregnancy. Until now, treatment for PPD was only available as an IV injection given by a healthcare provider in certain healthcare…
Mirvie, a prenatal diagnostics company has received a $4.6M grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the company’s efforts to predict unexpected pregnancy complications before they happen by revealing the underlying biology of each pregnancy for women on a global scale. Specifically, the funding will help launch study sites in Cameroon, Ghana, and Zambia to understand preeclampsia among pregnant…
The SKYLARK Study, conducted by The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, has shown promising results in treating postpartum depression (PPD). Led by Dr. Kristina M. Deligiannidis, the trial evaluated the efficacy of an investigational oral neuroactive steroid, zuranolone (50mg). The findings suggest zuranolone could become the first oral, at-home therapy approved by the FDA for PPD. The study included…
Google has partnered with Soula, a Cyprus-based femtech startup, to enhance the support services available for pregnancy and parenting. This collaboration centers on Soula’s application of Google’s medical language model, Med-PaLM, to its AI-assistant. Med-PaLM is a highly sophisticated language model specifically designed to handle medical inquiries. By integrating this technology into its platform, Soula plans to offer comprehensive and reliable support…
Sonio, a French medtech company specializing in improving the health of pregnant individuals and children, has raised $14M in Series A funding led by Cross Border Impact Ventures and the Elaia funds. The funding follows the initial commitment of the EIC Fund (European Innovation Council) in December 2022 and will play a pivotal role in advancing Sonio’s SaaS solution, expanding its presence…
Alodokter, a prominent digital health platform in Indonesia backed by SoftBank, has taken a step to enhance its services with the acquisition of Diary Bunda, a popular pregnancy tracking app. The app was acquired from Marubeni Corporation, a Japanese company. The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. Diary Bunda has gained a loyal following among Indonesian mothers, offering personalized…
Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced that its novel immunoassays, the Thermo Scientific B·R·A·H·M·S PlGF plus KRYPTOR and B·R·A·H·M·S sFlt-1 KRYPTOR biomarkers, have received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These breakthrough biomarkers are the first and only immunoassays to be cleared for the risk assessment and clinical management of preeclampsia, a severe complication during pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a dangerous…
Nipocalimab, an investigational treatment developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, has demonstrated promising outcomes in pregnant individuals at high risk of early-onset severe haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn (HDFN). HDFN is a rare blood disorder which occurs in between 3 and 80 out of every 100.000 pregnancies and can be fatal. The Phase 2 clinical trial…
