Digital health news, funding roundup in the prior week; June 5, 2022

Homeward and Rite Aid partner; increased transparency into VA; Kaiser launches gun violence center

Top Health News

• The Illinois Department of Public Health and the Discovery Partners Institute announced their effort to monitor the coronavirus and its variants in wastewater will extend into mid-2023 with $8.2 million in additional funding. The federally funded effort will help public health officials track the prevalence of COVID-19 across Illinois and provide a potential sign of another surge in infections. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is detectable in human waste nearly from the onset of infection, while symptoms may not appear for three to five days.
• The Senate approved a bill that aims to increase transparency surrounding the VA's electronic health record modernization program, a project that has been plagued with problems as it has been rolled out to three VA locations. The Department of Veterans Affairs will now have to submit regular reports to Congress about the performance of its new $16 billion medical records system, including incidents that risk patient safety. The legislation already passed the House of Representatives and will now go to the president to be signed into law.
• Children under the age of 5 may be able to get their first COVID vaccinations as early as June 21, according to the White House. An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will meet on June 14-15 to weigh the use of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the only age group still not eligible for COVID-19 shots.
• Homeward, a company committed to improving access to high-quality, comprehensive care in rural communities, announced a strategic partnership with Rite Aid to provide access to comprehensive care for those living in rural areas across the U.S. Rite Aid pharmacists will be able to introduce Medicare-eligible customers to Homeward's clinical services, including annual wellness visits, screenings, and risk assessments. In addition, Rite Aid will host Homeward's mobile care units at select rural Michigan locations to provide care and services to underserved communities with the goal of expanding to additional markets nationwide.
• Kaiser Permanente announced it will establish a new Center for Gun Violence Research and Education with a focus on gun violence prevention through care innovation, research, and education. Through the Kaiser Permanente Task Force on Firearm Injury Prevention, established in 2018, it is supporting research studies and testing firearm screening tools and counseling interventions that focus on how physicians and clinicians can help prevent firearm injuries. 

M&A

• Butler Health System, which consists of two hospitals in Western, Pennsylvania, and Excela Health, a tertiary-based health System in Westmoreland County, PA, signed a Letter of Intent to combine their respective organizations into a new health system serving western Pennsylvania
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases, completed it acquisition of Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing its proprietary technology to harness the power of the immune system to combat cancer
• Global Premier Fertility, a platform that owns, operates, and integrates fertility centers and adjacent businesses, acquired Reproductive Health & Wellness Center, a provider of the latest in cutting-edge embryo science
• CalNutri, which empowers CPG companies to focus on building their brand & distribution, acquired the assets of Health & Nutrition Technology, a provider of weight management and long term weight loss solutions and products
• Take Command, a provider of health reimbursement arrangement software, acquired  HRA technology from Savvy, a healthcare fintech company
• Accrete Health Partners, a strategic holding company that aligns, expands and synergizes digital health services, investments and partnerships, acquired Nordic Consulting Partners, a global health and technology consulting company
• Asenda Health, a connected data platform that harmonizes pharmacy services, physician services, and facilities, acquired a controlling 61% interest in Post Acute Healthcare, an outsourced physician services business, with commitment to purchase the remaining 39% over the next two years
• Lightbeam Health Solutions, an end-to-end population health management solution, entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the operating assets related to Jvion, an AI-enabled prescriptive intelligence and Social Determinants of Health solutions, including Jvion’s AI-enabled prescriptive analytics and social determinants of health (SDoH) solutions
• Warner Pacific, an employee benefits–focused general agency, acquired Beta Health, a commercial dental health platform
• Harris, a global vertical market software provider, acquired Sedona Learning Solutions, a provider of custom eLearning and education consulting to hospitals across the US and Canada
• Qualigen Therapeutics, a diversified life sciences company focused on developing treatments for adult and pediatric cancers, completed its acquisition of NanoSynex, an Israeli-based developer of next generation diagnostics technology
• Warburg Pincus, a leading global growth investor, completed its acquisition of Pharma Intelligence, a provider of specialist intelligence, data, and software for clinical trials, drug development, and regulatory compliance
• GSK plc, a a British multinational pharmaceutical company, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Affinivax, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
• CareMax, a tech-enabled provider of value-based care to seniors, entered into an agreement to acquire the Medicare value-based care business of Steward Health Care, a physician-owned private for-profit health care network
• EW Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm dedicated to making investments in rapidly growing healthcare companies, entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire TherapeuticsMD, a company focused on developing and commercializing novel products exclusively for women
   
• UnitedHealth Group's Optum acquired clinician group Healthcare Associates of Texas

Funding Roundup

• SamaCare raised $12 million to streamline the prior authorization process
• Moxe Health, a healthcare interoperability company, raised $30 million
• Culina Health, a personalized nutrition platform powered by registered dietitians, raised $4.75 million
• DocMed, the digital health arm of Singaporean consumer healthcare group Hyphens Pharma, raised $4.3 million
• Vernal Biosciences, a mRNA manufacturer and formulator of LNP-mRNA, raised $21 million
• Hint Health, a digital health company dedicated to the direct primary care movement, raised $45 million
• EnsoData, an AI health care company helping clinicians uncover disease while patients sleep, raised $20 million
• SpectrumAi, a digital health company that develops solutions in the autism space, raised $9 million
• Orange Health, a startup offering at-home diagnostic services, raised $25 million
• Sapience Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of peptide therapeutics to address difficult-to-treat cancers, raised $41 million
• Two Front, a startup looking to redefine how orthodontists run their practices, raised $3.5 million
• MycoMedica Life Sciences, a company focused on developing fungi-based therapeutic drugs to prevent and treat psychiatric and neurological disorders, raised $60 million
• Locum's Nest, a medical workforce technology company that connects healthcare professionals to vacant work in the NHS, raised an undisclosed amount of funding
• Watchmaker Genomics, a life sciences company specializing in the development of high-stringency applications focused on the reading, writing, and editing of DNA and RNA, raised $40 million

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