WoW news and updates - October edition 🍂

Oct 29, 2024

Research attentive to women's health has been significantly underfunded and underrepresented in clinical trials, and this oversight has led to delayed diagnosis, lack of personalised medicine and treatment, and disparities in access to care. However, a change is underway, and pharmaceutical companies are forging solutions devoted to the health challenges distinctive to women.

In 2019 the global women’s health market was valued at $35.02 billion and is estimated to reach up to $41.05 billion in 2027. This is owing to the rise of women-centred health conditions, namely osteoporosis, menopause, and breast cancer.

However, lack of funding primarily leads to a pause in drug research relating to women’s health. Notably, Bayer, known to be pivotal in women’s health, recently redirected their focus onto other health concerns such as neurology, rare diseases and immunology.

This post highlights several pharmaceutical powerhouses that are transforming and redefining the landscape of women’s health. Other than developing drugs, they are reshaping the paradigm, empowering women, advocating for access to education and bridging the gap in women’s pain and health.

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COMMUNITY NEWS AND UPDATES 🌍

The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause" is a groundbreaking documentary that will empower and educate the 1.1 billion women worldwide who will be in menopause by 2025. The film, by Emmy-Award-winning filmmaker Jacoba Atlas and executive producers Emmy Award-winning journalist Tamsen Fadal, Peabody-Award-winning filmmaker and WoW member Denise Pines, and Emmy Award-winning producer Joanne lamarca Mathisen, premieres on PBS on October 17th, in advance of World Menopause Day.

"The M Factor" features renowned doctors, workplace advocates and leading advocates for women's health addressing questions that have long plagued women. Women from all walks of life reveal the physical and mental anguish they live with every day. The film also sheds light on disparities faced by Black and Brown women as they assess their treatment options.

The Tech4Eva Roadshow on Supporting Women's Health in the Workplace is just around the corner! Tech4Eva start-ups will be showcased and will join the conversation how to bring solutions to the workplace with some of our corporate mentors such as Philips, embacta and Procter & Gamble. Event partner SICPA will lead a panel discussion on how an employer can support women’s health from the HR angle. Register here.

📌 The FemAging Project, a global initiative that has partnered with organizations like AARP to accelerate women’s health innovation since 2019, has launched Femalytics, a unique membership and intelligence platform. Read more on our blog.

📌 Clementine’s app is offering 10 weeks of free calming sessions leading up to Christmas. Instead of the usual 12-day countdown, they’re focusing on consistency, offering women the opportunity to take a mindful moment each week to find peace and grounding as the festive season approaches. Find out more about it on our blog.

📌 Learn more about Oura’s 2024 Perimenopause Report, in which the company looked at aggregate, de-identified data from more than 100,000 female Oura members for one year to better understand how perimenopause impacts their day-to-day functioning. Download the report here.

📌 OxiWear, a pioneering company in wearable health technology, is proud to announce that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its cutting-edge oxygen data collection device. This certification marks a significant milestone in OxiWear's mission to revolutionize patient care and enhance the quality of life for individuals with chronic diseases. Find out more.

📌 HITLAB Announces Winners of 2024 Women’s Health Tech Challenge Pitch Day

📌 The BII & Science Translational Medicine Prize for Innovations in Women’s Health aims to recognize researchers who have developed innovative advances with translational potential to impact women’s health globally. Contributions within any area of women’s health will be considered. The prize is awarded for outstanding research performed by the applicant and as described in a 1,000-word essay. The winner will have their essay published in Science Translational Medicine, be awarded a cash reward of $25,000 and receive a five-year subscription to Science Translational Magazine. The winner will also be invited to BII headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the Grand Award Ceremony. Find out more.

📌 MOTHER - podcast hosted by Karina Vazirova is a show about fascinating science and new technology pushing the boundaries of the female experience as we know it. Topics include female longevity, psychedelics, neuroscience, ovarian biology, sexuality, space travel and many others. Check out their Linkedin page. All links to podcasting platforms are here.

📌 Digital twins are a reality in clinical practice but do we know enough about them? Find out about which digital twins you can use now and be part of the conversation about the ethical implications of this groundbreaking technology by attending the event organised by our friends at The Royal Society of Medicine, which will bring together a unique mix of developers, clinicians, patients, academics, regulators and philosophers who are at the forefront of the next stage in healthcare technology. Register here.

📌 CensHERship is coming to Europe! The CensHERship campaign wants to hear from startups who operate in Europe who have encountered censorship when sharing women's health content on social media. Please help them continue to push this issue forward and remove these barriers for all. Survey is accessible here.

📌 Neuraura wins MasterPlan Contest for groundbreaking PCOS treatment

📌 The Nordic Women’s Health Innovation Hub has launched this past week and aims to be the red thread, connecting key players across the Nordics to advance innovation and market maturity in women’s health. As a non-profit, they focus on innovation, knowledge, activism, and partnerships, empowering women's health initiatives through resources, transparency, and advocacy. Visit nordicwomenshealth.com and follow them on LinkedIn to stay connected.

📌 Femtech Studios is a newly founded venture studio dedicated to building, nurturing, and scaling startups that redefine women’s health. Their mission is to empower ventures that enhance health, wealth, and well-being across generations. They develop high-potential, sustainable startups with a focus on speed, impact, and meaningful returns—building a future where women’s health is at the forefront of innovation. Explore their work here and follow them on LinkedIn.

📌 Introducing Femtech Search: The first executive search platform exclusively dedicated to placing leadership talent in the rapidly growing femtech sector. Based in London, Femtech Search connects innovative businesses with top-tier talent across the global femtech market. Reach out to Lauren Tappin at lauren@femtechsearch.com or follow Femtech Search on LinkedIn.

📌 Philips and Groupe Mutuel invite you to join them in Bern from 17-18 November for the Women’s Health Insurance Summit, reach out to Emily Napier at emily.napier@philips.com or Raymon uit de Bulten at raymon.uit.de.bulten@philips.com

📌 Empowering Women Through Wearable Technology, a guest blog post by our member Amy Marti

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