Issue # 158 – SheMed Secures $50M Series A | Smartbax Closes €4.7M Pre-Series A | Everbright Health Raises $7M

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• London-based telehealth startup SheMed raised $50 million in a Series A round, valuing the company at $1 billion, as demand for weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro grows in Britain.
• A pioneering startup founded by two University of Bristol graduates has raised £925,000 to take its innovative women’s urinals to events across Europe, the US and Australia. PEEQUAL, co-founded by Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane, began life as their final-year project at the University’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
• Private equity firm L Catterton invested in Healing Hands Clinic, a proctology-focused healthcare chain, marking its first bet on India’s specialty outpatient segment as demand for anorectal care rises.
• Everbright Health, a managed services platform for mental health providers, has raised $7 million in seed funding from W Health Ventures and Sanos Capital. The company aims to help psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists deliver advanced interventions such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) alongside traditional therapy and medication.
• Adaptyx Biosciences, a biowearables company developing the first platform for continuous, multi-analyte molecular monitoring, today announced it has raised $14 million in seed financing, bringing total funding to $23 million since inception. The round was led by Interlagos, with significant participation from Overwater Ventures, and joined by Starbloom Capital, Stanford University, the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, Hyperlink Ventures, Cantos Ventures, Humba Ventures, and Seaside Ventures.
• Elevara Medicines, a London, UK-based clinical-stage biotech developing therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic inflammatory diseases, closed a $70m Series A financing.
• smartbax, a Munich, Germany-based biotech company developing next-generation antibiotics against multi-drug resistant bacteria, held the first closing of its €4.7 M Pre-Series A financing round.
• Catalyst OrthoScience Inc., a Naples, Fla.-based private medical technology company redefining shoulder arthroplasty through simplified, surgeon-focused innovation, closed a $15m in equity and debt financing.

• Menopause questions will be included in NHS health checks for the first time, officials have announced, in a landmark step forward for women’s healthcare. The update, which could benefit nearly five million women in England, will give those experiencing symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, joint pain and trouble sleeping ‘visibility and support’.
• The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will use AI and NHS data to predict the side effects of drug combinations before they reach patients as part of a new study funded by the UK government.
• A new study co-led by investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre found that women with early-stage cervical cancer who received radiation plus chemotherapy reported a greater short-term decline in quality of life compared to those who received radiation alone.
• The prevalence of metabolic syndrome, a dangerous and potentially deadly condition, increases with menopause. That’s the result of decreasing estrogen that protects against these metabolic conditions. A new study not only identified the prevalence of metabolic syndrome but also sought to determine its association with the age of natural menopause
• Research supports the beneficial effects of immediate maternal‐infant skin‐to‐skin contact (SSC) after all modes of birth on breastfeeding/lactation and neonatal physiology, but little is known about how it might influence maternal physiology, including postpartum blood loss and placental separation time.
• The King’s College London discovery, published today, could provide new treatment options for some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. This may be particularly important for patients whose cancers no longer respond to existing therapies, as well as those with triple-negative breast cancer – a subtype which lacks the receptors which are common drug targets, where treatment choices remain very limited.
• In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers explored the relationship between Iranian women’s adherence to the Mediterranean diet and their odds of developing endometriosis. Their findings indicate that following a healthier diet, including the Mediterranean diet, is associated with significantly lower odds of the condition. However, causality cannot be inferred from a case–control design, highlighting the role of diet and nutrition in the epidemiology of endometriosis.
• Scientists have developed a powerful new approach to detecting endometriosis – already attracting attention from leading pharmaceutical players – which is set to transform how the disease is researched, diagnosed and treated. In a world-first clinical study, scientists tested a pioneering diagnostic process which involves directly isolating menstrual blood-derived stem cells (MenSCs) from menstrual blood samples for analysis, rather than analysing cultured cells. 
• A long-term Australian study found that calcium supplements do not raise dementia risk in older women, countering previous fears. The research followed more than 1,400 participants for nearly 15 years and revealed no harmful cognitive effects. Scientists say these results should reassure those using calcium to prevent osteoporosis, though more research is needed across broader populations.
• A brazilian study published in the journal Neurology suggests that some artificial sweeteners may negatively impact long-term brain health. Researchers examined seven low- and no-calorie sweeteners—aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol and tagatose—and found that higher consumption was linked to faster declines in thinking and memory skills.

• New York-based telehealth and medical transportation company, DocGo, has announced the acquisition of telehealth provider SteadyMD for $25Mn. This deal seeks to provide at-home care through mobile health clinicians and a network of virtual care providers.
• Hertility announces the launch of GYN-AI™, a patent-pending, clinical-grade diagnostic tool set to redefine how fertility and gynaecological conditions are detected and diagnosed.
• Sōlaria Biō, a biotechnology company pioneering natural solutions for healthy aging, today launched Bondia™, the first clinically proven solution for women to combat bone loss before osteoporosis. The launch coincides with World Osteoporosis Day, a global observance dedicated to raising awareness of bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis.

• Kerala has become the first state to incorporate robotics rehabilitation technology into its primary healthcare system. The state has installed the advanced Robotic Assisted Gait Trainer, ‘G-Gaiter’, at the Noolpuzha Family Health Centre (FHC) in Wayanad district.
• The Union health ministry has proposed an amendment to the Schedule K of the Drugs Rules, 1945, to move all oral formulations with higher alcoholic content more than 30 ml to Schedule H1 for enhanced regulation of its sales.

• Mumbai-based healthtech startup Qure.ai has unveiled its AI-based chest X-ray screening tool, qXR for children.
• Hinge Health introduced an AI-powered movement analysis feature for musculoskeletal (MSK) care. The tool employs computer vision technology to track joint angles, symmetry, and endurance, enabling the creation of a “Hinge Score” for joint health.
• Humata Health has announced plans to make its AI-powered prior authorization technology available within Microsoft Dragon Copilot, expanding access to automated authorization tools for clinicians.

📳 – Quick Reads: 

• Explained | Why men’s fertility declines with age and what to do: Understanding how age affects sperm quality, testosterone levels, and reproductive outcomes is essential, not just for conception but also for the health of offspring and maternal outcomes
• Is online food delivery and quick commerce contributing to India’s rising obesity crisis? Online food delivery and quick commerce apps are transforming eating habits in urban India, offering convenience but raising significant public health concerns. This seamless convenience comes an unintended trade-off: reduced physical activity, greater reliance on calorie-dense fast food, and, as emerging data suggests, rising obesity and related health risks
• Fact check: Does sweating really cause weight loss? Sustainable weight loss requires maintaining a calorie deficit through diet and regular exercise. Experts also caution against excessive sweating due to risks of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance

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See you next Friday, friends 👋
Navneet

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