Digital health news, funding round up in the prior week; June 5, 2023

Strive Health raised $166 million; Heartbeam partnered with Samsung; Eli Lilly teamed up with XtalPi

Top Health News

• Voice artificial intelligence company Suki partnered with PartnerMD and CVFP Medical Group to implement its AI voice assistant systemwide. PartnerMD, a concierge physician network founded in 2003, has already been using Suki, and has now decided to implement the technology across their entire practice. CVFP, meanwhile, a physician-owned, primary care organization founded in 1993, has note burnout as their main problem among clinicians, Simon explained, so Suki will help reduce time on notetaking and administrative duties, allowing them to dedicate more attention to patients. Suki Assistant will be used by PartnerMD and CVFP to streamline documentation and other administrative tasks in their respective practices with the overall goal of improving the clinician experience. Users will use Suki to document notes, do ICD-10 coding, and retrieve patient information, like allergies or medications, from the EHR. Giving users the ability to complete these tasks by voice and sending the completed notes back to the EHR in the relevant sections it meant to save users significant time.
• At-home health platform Inbound Health launched in the general surgery space, including orthopedics, bariatrics, and hernia. Across all three categories, patients will have the opportunity to recover from surgery in their home, after review of their clinical and environmental fit with the program. If a patient would otherwise be clinically appropriate to recover in a hospital or post-acute care facility, they can now have the option to receive that care in the comfort of their home with doctors, nurses and therapists monitoring their health 24/7 and coming into their home to support their rehab.
• Nexalin, which designs and develops neurostimulation products to help combat the ongoing global mental health epidemic, announced it formalized a joint venture arrangement with Wider Come Limited. The JV, to be conducted through a company newly-formed under the laws of Hong Kong, will be engaged in the clinical development, marketing, sale and distribution of Nexalin’s second generation transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation devices in China and the greater Asia Pacific region. In addition, Wider is contractually obligated to fund, have conducted, and have published the results of four separate clinical trials evaluating the treatment of patients with insomnia, depression, and other indications, utilizing Nexalin’s Gen-2 devices.
• Kaiser Permanente pledged $10 million to support Denver Health, a 160-year-old organization that provides preventive, primary and acute care to a third of the city’s population, which saw more than $60 million in net losses during 2022 due in large part to contract labor costs and other operating expense increases that outpaced revenues. Additionally, the safety net system said it has doubled its annual average uncompensated care from $60 million in 2020 to $120 million in 2022.
• The Consumer Health Division of Bayer launched a business unit focused on developing new Precision Health products across its range of everyday health categories. Bayer will prioritize developing products that enable people to take greater control of their own personal health through digital solutions that facilitate more informed choices based on personal insights and novel delivery mechanisms. The new Bayer Precision Health group will be responsible for identifying digital and digital-supported consumer healthcare opportunities. It will be embedded within the business and made up of leaders with diverse responsibities and expertise. The group will focus on addressing unmet needs in its core categories, delivering new evidence-based precision health products to market that offer end-to-end self-care, and scaling technologies globally. It will work with start-ups and other digital health providers as well as upskill Bayer’s existing digital capabilities.
• Selva Ventures closed on $34 million in capital commitments for its second fund that will invest in consumer brands that promote healthier living in the areas of health, wellness, beauty and personal care. Selva Ventures invests in companies at the seed and Series A stages and assists with resources across finance, operations and retail partnerships. Its first fund was a $10 million vehicle that went into 14 companies, including coffee alternative MUD\WTR, pet supplements brand Native Pet, functional chocolate brand Mid-Day Squares and sexual wellness company Cake.
• Transcarent, a health and care experience company that makes it easy for people to access high-quality, affordable care, announced a partnership with ViewFi, bringing orthopedic and musculoskeletal care directly to patients. ViewFi will power Transcarent’s Orthopedic Consult solution, part of the Transcarent Surgery Care experience. Transcarent’s Orthopedic Consult solution, powered by ViewFi, allows Members to be evaluated virtually by top-quality orthopedic physicians and surgeons, often removing the need to travel for evaluations or wait weeks for an in-person appointment. The industry average wait time to see an orthopedic provider is 16.9 days, up 48% from 2017. With Transcarent, Members can see an orthopedic provider for a comprehensive diagnostic exam virtually in less than two days. Transcarent Members receive rapid access, within the Transcarent app, to top orthopedic providers virtually from the comfort of their home – reducing high-cost specialty or emergency department visits which means Members get the care they need faster.
• Caris Life Science, a molecular science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technology company developing solutions to revolutionize healthcare, and ConcertAI, an oncology real-world evidence data and AI technology company, announced an expanded translational sciences and clinical development solutions partnership. In the coming months, Caris and ConcertAI will create a prospectively generated, EHR-enabled and contemporaneously matched database of molecular, clinical and multi-modal data that will enable novel insights for precision medicine, therapeutic development and clinical trials management for academic and biopharma researchers.
• Royal Philips and Masimo announced FDA clearance allowing the activation of SedLine Brain Function Monitoring, Regional Oximetry , and CO₂ measurements in Philips Patient Monitors – IntelliVue MX750 and MX850. The latest extension of Masimo and Philips’ ongoing collaboration will help enable clinicians to make quick and informed decisions without the need for additional monitoring equipment.
• Oak Street Health, a network of value-based primary care centers for adults on Medicare and the only primary care provider to carry the AARP name, announced plans to open centers in Little Rock, Arkansas; Des Moines and Davenport, Iowa; Kansas City, Kansas and Richmond, Virginia, beginning this summer. The expansion into these four new states will mark the 25th state in which Oak Street Health serves older adults. Oak Street will also continue to expand into new communities within states where it has an existing presence with additional centers planned for Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania this year.
• CarepathRx Health System Solutions, a CarepathRx company and portfolio company of Nautic Partners, and Evernorth Health Services, a subsidiary of The Cigna Group, announced a new strategic partnership and investment by Evernorth in CHSS. The strategic partnership brings together Evernorth's diverse specialty and care expertise with CHSS' robust pharmacy and infusion management capabilities, technology solutions, and health system relationships to improve, expand, and accelerate pharmacy care delivery for the growing number of patients with chronic and complex care needs.
• MedCerts, a provider of online career training in allied health and information technology, announced a new partnership with University of Maryland Global Campus that expands its non-credit catalogue to include healthcare and IT programs. Eight MedCerts programs for high-demand certifications and career opportunities will be offered through UMGC including: Surgical Technologist, Sterile Processing Technician, Phlebotomy Technician, Pharmacy Technician Professional, Medical Assistant, Cloud Technology Professional, Cloud Computing, and AWS Solutions Architect Associate.
• Clario, a healthcare research technology company that delivers leading endpoint technology solutions for clinical trials, announced it is joining CancerX - a public-private partnership to act as a national accelerator to boost innovation in the fight against cancer. Clario will join forces with the Digital Medicine Society and Moffitt Cancer Center in an effort to rapidly accelerate the pace of cancer innovation in the U.S., alongside the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.
• PAVmed, a diversified commercial-stage medical technology company, operating in the medical device, diagnostics, and digital health sectors, and its majority-owned digital health subsidiary Veris Health, announced its participation as a founding member of CancerX – a public-private partnership co-hosted by Moffitt Cancer Center and the Digital Medicine Society, alongside the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden announced CancerX in February 2023 as part of The White House's national Cancer Moonshot initiative to serve as a national accelerator to boost innovation in the fight against cancer.
• Providence Therapeutics Holdings, a biopharmaceutical company developing messenger RNA vaccines and therapeutics, announced its mRNA drug discovery partnership with University Health Network, ranked first on a list of Canada's top 40 research hospitals by Research Infosource Inc. and within one of the world’s top 5 hospitals for the fourth year in a row, as reported by Newsweek. This collaboration will allow Providence and UHN to develop mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics for those living with difficult to treat cancers and infectious diseases, using Providence’s proprietary mRNA platform technology.
• Takeda Canada announced the launch of the Takeda Canada Digital Health Innovation Challenge, an initiative to identify disruptive digital health solutions and explore new partnerships to accelerate and transform patient care in Canada. In the second challenge, Takeda is collaborating with Plug and Play Alberta to help broaden its reach and to harness their expertise in connecting innovative tech initiatives with large corporations to propel digital transformation. This year's challenge looks to identify best-in-class solutions with the potential to improve the patient or health care provider experience in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the most common forms being Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease. Focus areas include earlier identification of patients requiring therapy escalation; facilitation of patient-HCP joint decision making; optimizing patient treatment response; expediting reimbursement navigation or supporting patients in monitoring and understanding ongoing symptoms to play a more active role in care planning. Applicants should be capable of executing a proof-of-concept project that demonstrates a measurable impact in one of the technology focus areas listed above and is deliverable within the Canadian healthcare ecosystem within the next 12 months.
• Global Source Advisors, a healthcare solutions provider, announced a new partnership with LetsGetChecked, a global healthcare solutions company that provides the tools to manage health from home. With this new collaboration, GSA aims to revolutionize the healthcare landscape by introducing innovative technology and making preventive care more obtainable across the United States. With this new capability to provide employers with a comprehensive suite of over 30 at-home health tests, GSA aims to transform healthcare accessibility as a whole. Tests such as Biometric Screening, Colon Cancer, Diabetes, Female Hormone and Fertility insights, among others, will be offered as employee healthcare benefits, fostering a healthier work environment and significantly reducing long-term healthcare costs through disease prevention.
• Galvanize Therapeutics, a company developing pulsed electric field therapies for COPD, solid tumors and cardiac arrhythmias, announced that the company has signed an exclusive license agreement with Energenx Medical, Ltd to develop and commercialize its products in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. Energenx will further develop and manufacture Galvanize's RheOx and Aliya systems in China, according to the needs of local physicians and patients, and will conduct clinical trials to seek local regulatory approval. In January 2023, Energenx received approval from the Medical Device Technical Evaluation Center of the China National Medical Products Administration for RheOx to enter the "Green Channel Special Review Process," under which regulatory review times may be accelerated.
• The Cancer Support Community, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting and strengthening people impacted by cancer, partnered with Equiva Health to bring an innovative model of care to underserved communities. CSC is using Equiva’s health relationship management platform to bring CSC’s support services and other offerings to individuals in their homes via Wi-Fi-enabled tablets. The platform enables CSC to bring a range of educational, support and other resources together into an intuitive-to-navigate single-screen interface. The approach with this easy-to-use, connected device is to make important services readily available anytime and anywhere.
• Loyal, a digital health platform for health systems and hospitals, announced a partnership with Ardent Health Services to deploy Loyal’s suite of consumer engagement solutions. Once fully operationalized, Loyal’s digital consumer health platform will touch every part of the patient journey in Ardent facilities – from researching care and scheduling appointments to patient registration and post-care communications. Loyal’s platform also includes a unique enterprise view that helps the system better understand appointment inventory and usage, offering Ardent opportunities to increase efficiency and better forecast future visits.
• Sure Med Compliance, a digital healthcare company focused on curbing the opioid-related overdose epidemic, announced a partnership with Galt Phranchise Systems, a franchisor that enables an entrepreneur or business entity to market and promote pharmaceutical and health-related products in their local markets. Both organizations have an aligned mission in supporting healthcare providers in the fight against the opioid epidemic through safer prescribing practices. Sure Med Compliance seeks to improve patient and provider outcomes in pain management settings through Perspectives in Caresm, it's scientifically validated electronic patient-reported outcome, while GPS partner, Galt Pharmaceuticals, is the manufacturer of a non-opioid combination prescription product for acute mild-moderate pain, that is a vital therapeutic option for healthcare providers.
• Cure, a healthcare innovation campus in New York City, announced a partnership with Life Science Cares New York, Science In the City Inc. with sponsorship from New York Economic Development Corporation to launch an immersive educational program for New York City high school students interested in life sciences and biotechnology. The program will bring 50 students from New York City to the Cure campus to learn from scientists and business leaders through a panel event and interactive workshop session.
• By entering into a strategic collaboration, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi and Max Healthcare Institute Limited aim to advance healthcare research and education in India. Both organisations aim to use their key strengths to promote and conduct high-quality research, develop cutting-edge healthcare solutions, and design and deliver capability and capacity-building programmes for healthcare professionals.
• Cubresa, a brain imaging company that designs and develops preclinical and clinical PET inserts for MRI, installed the first BrainPET Insert System at St. Joseph’s Health Care London, in partnership with the hospital’s research institute – Lawson Health Research Institute. The Cubresa BrainPET is a removeable, high-performing PET scanner, specifically designed for PET/MRI brain imaging.
• Smile Digital Health, a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources health data fabric and exchange solutions provider, announced a partnership with HealthLX to bring FHIR solutions to payers and providers looking to solve CMS compliance mandates and long-term enterprise interoperability needs. Pairing Smile Digital Health's HL7® FHIR standard-based Health Data Fabric platform with the Composable Automation platform and advanced ingestion engine from HealthLX results in a powerful alternative to traditional "check-the-box" CMS mandate integration.
• Warner Pacific Insurance Services, a General Agency for brokers and agents, announced a new partnership with CommunityCare, a trusted health plan serving individuals and businesses in Oklahoma. Brokers working with Warner Pacific now have a new fully insured product to offer their group clients. CommunityCare offers Warner Pacific brokers and their clients a wealth of experience, services and access to excellent care. 
• HeartBeam, a cardiac technology company that has developed a 3D-vector electrocardiogram platform intended for patient use at home, announced that it entered into a Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) with Samsung, extending the existing SAA between LIVMOR and Samsung. HeartBeam acquired the assets of LIVMOR earlier this year. Under the terms of the agreement, HeartBeam and Samsung will identify and define opportunities for collaboration, tapping the HeartBeam team's expertise and patented technology in the assessment and monitoring of cardiac symptoms.
• Biofrontera, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the commercialization of dermatologic products, announced it has engaged a contract manufacturer to develop a new, low-cost portable photodynamic therapy lamp for use with Ameluz. Prior to this engagement, Biofrontera acquired one issued U.S. patent and all rights from one of two inventors on another issued U.S. patent related to a portable red-light lamp for use in PDT. The inventors of the patents are working with Biofrontera on the lamp development. Biofrontera will make regulatory and commercial milestone payments to the patent holders, and will also pay royalties on future net sales of products utilizing the acquired patents.
• Sound Long-Term Care Management, part of Sound Physicians, announced its partnership with Spectrum Medical Partners to enhance and streamline patient care throughout the U.S. SLTCM is a Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Enhanced Track Accountable Care Organization focused on caring for Medicare beneficiaries who are residents of long-term care facilities. Spectrum Medical Partners is a physician-founded and led organization committed to providing excellent acute and post-acute patient care. It also provides behavioral health, podiatry, wound care, and house calls.
• UVA Health experts are helping lead a new national initiative to ensure telehealth care meets the unique needs of older adults. The new Center of Excellence For Telehealth and Aging is a joint effort among the West Health Institute, the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center based at UVA Health and UVA Health’s geriatrics section. A collection of toolkits, guides and research reports is available to help healthcare providers and health systems successfully implement “age-inclusive telehealth that enables older adults to successfully age in place and preserve their quality of life,” according to the center’s website. Experts who are part of the center are also available to answer questions about how to incorporate age-inclusive components into telehealth initiatives around the country.
• TimeDoc Health, a provider of virtual care management, chronic condition management, and remote patient monitoring, partnered with Premier Health Associates, a medical group representing 10 care specialties, continues to expand its technology and services across 14 locations. TimeDoc Health’s virtual care workflow has been integrated into Premier Health Associates’ existing systems and EHR, providing a real-time look at patient health data, monitored by clinical professionals. Premier has been leveraging a combination of resources, including remote patient monitoring of high-risk and comorbidity patients. Premier Health Associates is able to increase operating capacity and decrease unnecessary in-person visits, particularly from patients living in rural communities.
• Columbia Pacific Communities, India’s largest and most preferred operator of senior living communities, announced a strategic partnership with Portea, the leading out-of-hospital healthcare brand in India. This partnership brings together two leading service providers of the country with complementary services that will enable senior residents of CPC to avail specialised medical care and attention in the comfort of their homes. For Columbia Pacific Communities, high-quality healthcare for its residents in the safety of their homes has always been of utmost priority, particularly since the pandemic. The partnership will allow CPC’s residents to get priority access to Portea’s home healthcare services at discounted rates; equally, it will allow Portea to expand its reach to a wider segment of the elderly population. The partnership will empower both brands to leverage each other’s strengths towards serving seniors better.
• Close to a dozen school districts in Texas will have access to virtual behavioral health services for their students through a partnership between the University of Texas and telehealth company MDLIVE. The new program will offer some 11,200 students between the ages of 10 and 18 on-demand virtual access to MDLIVE licensed psychiatrists or therapists, either from a dedicated telehealth platform at the school or through an mHealth app or phone call. Students can also request a provider that aligns with their gender and ethnicity.
• ComForCare, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, forged an exclusive partnership with Connected Home Living, the leader in remote patient care, to introduce Connected Care for clients. The new technology will be integrated into ComForCare/At Your Side's in-home care protocol to monitor vital signs, alerts, medications, mental and physical state of older adults cared for, on a daily basis, ensuring continuity of care and rapid intervention for best possible outcomes.
• Northwell Direct announced that it has been selected as the subcontractor on a U.S. Department of State contract to provide telehealth consult services to DOS medical providers serving U.S. Government employees and family members posted overseas. Leveraging Northwell Health’s extensive network of specialists, Northwell Direct will provide consultation services to DOS that will assist its medical staff around the world. DOS providers can request consultations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year that will be triaged and navigated to the appropriate Northwell specialty provider.
• Active Wellness, a fitness design and services company who strategically partners with hospital systems to deliver medical fitness joint venture developments and turnkey operations, announced its newest partnership with NorthBay Health, a leading hospital system in Solano County, CA. Together, they will reopen its wellness center as Active Wellness Center at NorthBay Health. This is the fifth Active Wellness Center location to open in the United States, and it joins the network of the first commercially branded wellness center chain.
• InSilicoTrials, a provider of artificial intelligence and simulation tools for drug and medical device development, and IBSA Group, one of the major players worldwide in the fields of Reproductive Medicine and hyaluronic acid-based products, partnered to revolutionize drug development processes using in silico medicine. IBSA, which has made innovation one of its pillars, partnered with InSilicoTrials with the objective of evaluating the application of in silico medicine in specific therapeutic areas such as pain and inflammation, osteoarticular, and reproductive medicine. The collaboration between the two companies has the aim of reducing working times, lowering research costs, and implementing effective therapeutic solutions in less time, positively impacting healthcare expenditures.
• KarmaCheck, a company that uses candidate-centric technology to bring truth, speed, and efficiency to background checks, announced a partnership with healthcare staffing provider Cell Staff that will utilize KarmaCheck’s background check functionality for the Bullhorn applicant tracking system. KarmaCheck’s partnership with Bullhorn, which is also a KarmaCheck investor, alleviates the costly problem of manual inefficiency for Cell Staff by directly integrating applicant data into the Bullhorn platform. It dramatically reduces candidate drop-offs by offering a streamlined, transparent experience for applicants, employers, and recruiters.
• The Max Foundation, a global non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity by delivering medication, technology, and supportive services to cancer patients, announced the launch of its Max Access Solutions program to deliver access to treatment for HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer patients in collaboration with leading oncologists in low and middle-income countries. Initially covering 9 countries across Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, areas of the world in most urgent need, The Max Foundation will actively continue to expand treatment access in low to-middle income countries (LMICs) with the focus on providing health care providers the tools necessary to improve outcomes for women living with advanced breast cancer. Max is working in collaboration with multiple partners to implement the program through its Humanitarian Partnership for Access to Cancer Treatment for Advanced Breast Cancer.
• STOPit Solutions, a provider of safety and wellness solutions for schools, announced a strategic partnership with Indiana Online, a department of Central Indiana Educational Service Center and a respected partner and provider of online education for Indiana students. This collaboration aims to enhance student safety, promote a positive learning environment, and foster overall well-being among Indiana Online students. The partnership between STOPit Solutions and Indiana Online brings together two organizations dedicated to empowering students, promoting a culture of safety, and supporting mental health initiatives. Through the integration of STOPit's innovative technology and Indiana Online's commitment to student success, this collaboration will create a safer and healthier online learning environment for Indiana students.
• Innovation organisation CPI is establishing a brand-new Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre in partnership with Medicines Discovery Catapult, the University of Strathclyde, the University of Liverpool and Imperial College London to help develop novel drug delivery technologies and support promising RNA vaccines and therapeutics. Funded by Innovate UK’s Transforming Medicines Manufacturing programme, with a grant of £10 million over three years, the Centre will provide a single point of entry for drug discovery and development innovators to access new capabilities in intracellular drug delivery. The partnership is the first-of-its-kind in the UK and will investigate and develop new lipid nanoparticle formulations for the delivery of RNA medicine, and a framework to develop next-generation nano delivery systems.
• Nucleai, a provider of AI-powered spatial biology, and Adlai Nortye, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative immuno-oncology therapies, announced a strategic partnership to identify, validate and test novel H&E-based biomarkers across Adlai Nortye’s Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials. The collaboration will initially focus on identifying subjects that could derive benefit from Buparlisib treatment in metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck patients and will expand to other indications and clinical trials.
• XtalPi, a pharmaceutical technology company powered by artificial intelligence and automation, announced an AI drug discovery collaboration of up to $250 million in upfront and milestone payments with Eli Lilly and Company. The collaboration will leverage XtalPi's integrated AI capabilities and robotics platform to de novo design and deliver drug candidates for an undisclosed target.
• Philips entered into a collaboration with medical imaging company Polarean to advance the field of hyperpolarized Xenon MRI for patients with respiratory illness. The Philips 3T MR 7700 and Polarean XENOVIEWTM (xenon Xe 129 hyperpolarized) enable an advanced solution for the evaluation of lung ventilation based on Xenon gas MR imaging, providing clinical confidence. XENOVIEW is indicated for use with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for evaluation of lung ventilation in adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older. Xenoview has not been evaluated for use with lung perfusion imaging.
• CureMD, a provider of comprehensive technology solutions for community oncology, announced its partnership with the Northern Marianas Oncology Center at CHCC, an independent practice servicing the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. This announcement marks a significant milestone for CureMD as it expands its reach to community oncology practices across the globe, no matter the size or distance.
• Lilli, a company using machine learning to revolutionise home care, announced a partnership with digital care management provider Nourish Care to support local authorities and care providers in the successful implementation of digital social care records and services designed to help prevent falls and improve the overall quality, safety and personalisation of adult social care.

M&A

• Viemed Healthcare, a provider of respiratory care and technology-enabled home medical equipment services, completed its acquisition of Home Medical Products, a large regional provider of respiratory focused home medical solutions
• EvokAI Creative Labs, a MedTech AI-powered company dedicated to the development of  technologies for the healthcare sector, completed its acquisition of Head Instruments Oy, a MedTech company creating smart medical devices and solutions to improve patients' quality of life and support medical professionals in their work
• BC Platforms, a provider of healthcare data management and analytics, acquired 4Pharma Ltd, a contract research organization providing medical research services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies
• Integrative Health, a patient-centric network of digital-first urgent care centers, completed its acquisition of Nala, a digital health platform serving over 200,000 patients
• healthŌme, a genomics-based, health navigation company, acquired Kailos Genetics, a genetic testing laboratory and supplier of clinical grade laboratory reagents for next-generation sequencing
• Reveleer, a healthcare technology company using natural language processing and artificial intelligence to empower data-driven healthcare for health plans and risk-bearing providers, acquired MDPortals, a prospective risk adjustment platform
• Lifeist Wellness, a health-tech company that leverages advancements in science and technology to build breakthrough companies that transform human wellness, entered into a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire the Zest brand
• Lonza, a manufacturing partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutraceutical markets, acquired Synaffix B.V., a biotechnology company focused on commercializing its clinical-stage technology platform for the development of ADCs
• Abiogen Pharma S.p.A., a company in the field of osteoarticular and bone metabolism diseases, acquired a 97.09% stake in EffRx Pharmaceuticals SA, a company that develops and markets prescription drugs targeted in particular to musculoskeletal and rare pathologies on European and international markets
• Vandalia Health signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Davis Health System
• Trinity Hunt Partners, a growth-oriented private equity firm focused on services businesses, acquired a majority stake in Centricity Research, a clinical research services provider specializing in conducting Phase I-IV clinical trials across more than 40 therapeutic areas
   

Funding Roundup 

• Strive Health, a provider of value-based kidney care, raised $166 million
• Lindus Health, a platform that uses machine learning to manage clinical trials from start to finish, raised £6.5 million
• Hyro, a provider of plug-and-play conversational artificial intelligence for the healthcare industry, raised $20 million
• Carrum Health, a value-based healthcare platform, raised $45 million
• Dropstat, an AI-powered workforce automation platform helping healthcare organizations combat clinical staffing shortages, raised $5.5 million
• Spectacom Global, a vernacular holistic and wellness app, raised 11 crores
• Axuall, a clinical workforce intelligence company, raised $20 million
• Rosy Wellness, a women’s sexual health platform, raised $1.2 million
• AtomVie Global Radiopharma, a CDMO for the GMP manufacturing and worldwide distribution of radiopharmaceuticals, raised an undisclosed amount of funding
• FemTherapeutics, a company focused on building patient-specific gynecological prosthetics, raised $1.85 million
• BrightHeart, a medical technology company developing AI software focused on improving the detection of congenital heart defects in fetuses, raised €2 million
• Kena Health, which allows customers to consult with a doctor, nurse, or mental health professional from their smartphone, raised $2 million
• LinusBio, a precision exposome sequencing company, raised $8 million
• Violet Therapeutics, a therapeutics company utilizing novel proprietary platforms for the identification of cell-cell interaction mechanisms, raised $10.6 million
• Psycheceutical Bioscience, a bioscience company dedicated to developing technologies for the next generation of mental health treatments, raised $1.3 million
• SelfDecode, a personalized health software company, raised $2 million
• eXmoor pharma, an end-to-end cell and gene therapy manufacturing partner, raised $35 million

(Image source: clinicaltrialsarena.com)