Digital health news, funding roundup in the prior week; May 31, 2022

Google studies smartphone effect on health; CVS' virtual care solution; DaVita and Medtronic partner

Top Health News

• DaVita, a provider of kidney dialysis services entered into a partnership with medical device company Medtronic to form a new, independent kidney care-focused medical device company that will enhance the patient treatment experience and improve overall outcomes. Medtronic will contribute its Renal Care Solutions business, including the current product portfolio, such as renal access, acute therapies, and chronic therapies, along with product pipeline, and global manufacturing R&D teams and facilities. The transaction is expected to close in the next calendar year; once that happens, Ven Manda, president of Medtronic's RCS business, will be its CEO. 
• Butterfly Network, developer of a handheld, whole-body ultrasound, partnered with The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). MUSC will leverage Butterfly Blueprint, the company’s system-wide ultrasound platform. Together with Butterfly, MUSC aims to transform patient care, health education and medical research by empowering its clinicians, students and researchers with point-of-care access to AI-powered, handheld ultrasound.
• Honeywell signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Narayana Hrudayalaya to identify, assess and collaborate on opportunities for the latter's digital transformation journey. This will enable Narayana Health to offer technology-driven, affordable and accessible healthcare for all. 
• CVS Health launched CVS Health Virtual Primary Care, a virtual care solution available through a single digital platform. The offering connects CVS Health’s services, clinical expertise, and data for a more coordinated and consumer-centric health care experience. The offering, which is being sold to Aetna fully-insured, self-insured plan sponsors, and CVS Caremark clients now, will become effective for eligible Aetna members starting January 1, 2023, and for eligible CVS Caremark members during the second quarter of 2023.
• Google partnered with the University of Oregon's Center for Digital Mental Health on a research project to determine the effect of smartphones on health. Researchers plan to study a large, representative sample of people using passive and sensing technology from phone and Fitbit data to measure well-being indicators like sleep and physical activity. The study aims to determine the benefits and risks of smartphone use as well as who is most likely to experience them.

M&A

• Crown Laboratories, a global skincare company, finalized an agreement with Eclipse, a medical technology company, to acquire its global, aesthetics-focused assets
• Lab Logistics Management, a provider of outsourced medical supplies, kitting and logistics services to the healthcare industry, acquired The Allied Group, a fulfillment services provider offering printing, kitting, and mailing services to healthcare and life science organizations
• Afya, a medical education group, acquired Glic, a free diabetes care and management app solution for physicians and patients
• Office Ally, a provider of electronic clearinghouse and healthcare software solutions, acquired Bluemark, a provider of specialized healthcare software for healthcare professionals and community-based organizations
• Echo Healthcare, a provider of high-reality simulation, acquired Immersive Interactive, a provider of VR software for the education and medical sectors

Funding Roundup

• Homethrive raised $20 million to give employees access to caregiving resources
• KAID Health, makers of an artificial intelligence-enabled clinical analysis and provider engagement platform, raised $4.25 million
• Japa Health, a digital health content creation, data aggregation and B2B health and wellness solutions provider, raised $1.245
• NeuraLight, which measure neurological conditions with a smartphone, raised $25 million
• Motilent, a company that specialises in the assessment of digestive diseases using AI medical image analysis, raised £1.2 million
• Auxa Health, a social care orchestration technology company, raised an undisclosed amount of funding
• Nemaura Medical, a medical technology company focused on commercializing a daily disposable wearable glucose sensor and supporting personalized digital coaching programs, raised $5 million
• Fairtility, a company using AI for in vitro fertilization for improved outcomes, raised $15 million
• Parallel Learning, a digital health platform for testing, diagnosing, and empowering students with learning and thinking differences, raised $20 million
• TARGAN, a Biotechnology Systems company poised to transform animal protein production industries, raised $35 million
• Pleno, a multi-omic instrument platform company developing biological target detection for clinical testing and biomedical research, raised $15 million
• Blink Pharma, a digital pharmacy, raised an undisclosed amount of funding
• Esaal, a telemedicine company in the MENA region, raised $1.7 million

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