Evvy’s $14 million funding round was led by Left Lane Capital and included participation from General Catalyst, LabCorp Venture Fund, RH Capital, Ingeborg Investments, G9 Ventures, Virtue and Amboy Street Ventures. In total, Evvy has raised $19 million. 

MedCity News is launching a new podcast called MedCity FemFwd, which will discuss the breakthroughs and challenges in the women’s health space. In the inaugural episode, Michelle Long of KFF examines whether Opill — the first daily oral contraceptive approved for nonprescription use in the U.S. — will be covered by insurance.

A webinar sponsored by AVIA Health and SeamlessMD will discuss the latest trends in remote monitoring and how to extend these benefits beyond chronic conditions all while using fewer staff resources.

Visana Health’s seed funding was led by Flare Capital Partners and Frist Cressey Ventures and included participation from InHealth Ventures, Oxeon Partners, Pixel Perfect Ventures and Venture Investors. In total, the company has raised more than $13 million.

FemTech is at the forefront of providing effective solutions to menstrual challenges, and the efforts to normalize and destigmatize menstruation are paving the way for the democratization of women’s healthcare.

Traditionally offering family building support, Progyny is expanding into the menopause space. Employees of its employer customers will receive a personalized care plan that includes support for nutrition, sleep, mental health and hormonal health — all factors that affect menopause.

We need to create a care model that doesn’t treat menopause as some separate gray area of women’s health where doctors are unequipped and patients are left to their own devices to figure it out.

HerMD recently raised $18 million in a Series A-1 funding round. The company offers in-person and virtual women’s healthcare that focuses on menopause and sexual health. It is using its new capital to open more brick-and-mortar women’s health centers across the country.

Digital health startup Dorsata filed a lawsuit against EHR provider athenahealth and women’s health company Unified Women’s Healthcare. The startup alleged that athenahealth stole trade secrets, used deceptive business practices and breached its contract — and that Unified aided and abetted these purported practices.

Herself Health’s $26 million Series A funding round was led by Michael Cline, founding managing partner of Accretive, and included participation from Juxtapose. It comes six months after Herself Health raised $7 million in seed funding. In total, the company has raised $33 million.

FDA approval of Opill makes it the first oral contraceptive that may be used without a prescription. Clinicians say over-the-counter availability will lower barriers to access to a key component of reproductive healthcare.

A new cohort of startups has graduated from PharmStars, a digital health accelerator. This latest group focused on women’s health and health equity.

In a confirmatory Phase 3 test of ImmunoGen’s Elahere, the ovarian cancer drug handily beat chemotherapy with results that clinicians say could make the treatment the new standard of care for certain patients. The data were presented during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Astellas Pharma won FDA approval for Veozah, a new menopause drug. The once-daily pill offers a new non-hormonal treatment option for addressing menopausal symptoms.

Intrinsic acquires and sells brands that fill unmet women’s health needs. Its $15 million funding round brings the company’s total funding to $128 million, with investors including FCA Venture Partners, MAP Investco, Define Ventures, Link Ventures and Redesign Health.

A joint report by the American Heart Association and Hello Heart found that women die from heart attacks at twice the rate of men and that women are seven times more likely to be misdiagnosed when having a heart attack. In response to the findings, Hello Heart launched a campaign Wednesday to help women understand heart attack symptoms.

Through Maven’s acquisition, Naytal’s over 50 providers will join Maven’s platform, more than doubling the company’s number of providers in the U.K. Maven will also be able to sign on additional U.K.-based clients.

Women’s healthcare platform Iron Health recently launched with a mission to decrease the fragmentation of women’s care and provide OB/GYNs with a more full-spectrum view of their patients’ health. Iron also announced a $4.5 million seed investment round led by March of Dimes’ innovation fund.

In acquiring Mayne Pharma’s U.S. portfolio, Dr. Reddy’s gains a birth control pill whose rapid sales growth is attributed to a direct-to-consumer marketing strategy. The deal also includes pipeline products and approved products that are not yet on the market.

Francesca de Quesada Covey, chief investment officer at investment firm TheVentureCity, believes the women’s health sector will come into its own in the next few years. She said startups focused on improving care delivery will probably have the easiest time raising funds of all the companies in the femtech space.

Tia — a startup providing hybrid primary care, OB/GYN services and mental health care to women — is now partnered with Cedars-Sinai in addition to UCSF Health and CommonSpirit Health. Under Tia’s partnership model, the company combines its primary care with health systems’ specialty care to reduce fragmentation and advance preventive health.

After launching an at-home vaginal microbiome test in 2021, Evvy its expanding its services. After taking a test, consumers can received personalized treatment, which may include prescriptions and one-on-one health coaching.

About 31% of women ages 18 to 64 with health coverage said that in the last year, they or a family member received care that their health plan did not cover at all or paid less than expected. In comparison, 26% of men said this, according to a KFF survey.

If women are the influential guide for many to access healthcare, we must work harder to promote the health of all women. Our ability to play the role of care facilitator for others depends upon it.

2023 is shaping up to be a crucial year for everyone involved – and affected – by the pharmaceutical industry. It’s likely to be a year of experimentation for payers – and defensiveness for drug makers.

We are approaching a new era for women’s health. This new era will usher in true transformation in both the delivery of care and the financial models that underpin it.

Wearables company Movano Health recently partnered with Novant Health to beta test its smart ring — which is designed for women — with the health system’s employees. The program is expected to prepare Movano for its first direct-to-consumer product launch in the first half of next year.

Women’s health has been historically underfunded — in terms of both research dollars and venture capital investment. Lawmakers can’t craft effective policy nor can startups innovate in the women’s health space without good data and research, said panelists at a recent healthcare conference in Washington, D.C.

Aegis Ventures launched a new startup with Northwell Holdings, the venture capital arm of Northwell Health. The New York City-based company, named Upliv, focuses on virtual menopause care. It will partner with employers to provide its services to their employees at no cost.

With the money, Daye is looking to reach more people with its products and services, whether that’s in the U.S., U.K. or Europe, Milanova said. The company will also expand research in gynecological health, focusing on conditions like endometriosis, PCOS and menopause.