💊 Abortion Pill on Trial + East Asia Health Tech 200
The abortion pill was brought before the US Supreme Court, questioning its legality. This illustrates the tumultuous nature of reproductive rights within the US.
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The abortion pill was brought before the US Supreme Court, questioning its legality. This illustrates the tumultuous nature of reproductive rights within the US. In the Health Tech landscape, we revisit the 2023 East Asia Health Tech 200, which highlights the region's most promising startups in the health technology sector.
This Week's Topics
📊 Charts Spotlight. Medication accounted for two-thirds of abortions in the US in 2023
📈 Nutrition and Supplement Index. Up 11% over the past 12 months
🏆 East Asia Health Tech 200. East Asia's most promising startups working in digital health, biotech, drug discovery, and analytics
📖 Annual Health Tech Outlook. 190+ pages of trends, insights, and data
💰 Health Tech Deals of the Week. Funding, M&A and IPOs
Don't forget to check out the 2024 Global Health Tech Outlook, and sign up for our Daily Newsletters, Chart of the Day, and Impact Capital Markets. For unlimited access to over one million charts, request a demo.
📊 Charts Spotlight - Medication Accounted for Two-Thirds of Abortions in the US in 2023
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Medicated abortion is the most common form of abortion, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the US. First approved in 2000 by the FDA, mifepristone (commonly known as the abortion pill) provided a non-traumatic and surgery-free option for those with pregnancies. In 2021, the FDA relaxed restrictions on the drug and allowed patients to get the pill without an in-person appointment, including through mail. Later, in 2023, the FDA approved an over-the-counter (OTC) abortion pill, allowing those who want to terminate their pregnancies to obtain the pill without a prescription. Proceeding with the decision, CVS and Walgreens began distributing the OTC abortion pill in states where it is legal in March 2024. However, a court case to reconsider the legal status of abortion pills was introduced to the US Federal Supreme Court. While the Supreme Court is still deliberating the case, this development illustrates the tumultuous nature of reproductive rights within the US.
📈 Capital Markets - Nutrition and Supplements
HolonIQ tracks thousands of listed health companies around the world, as well as acquisitions and investment transactions. Soon, we will launch a range of stock indices to track the daily performance of over ten different sectors across Health Technology.
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HolonIQ's Nutrition and Supplement Index climbed 11% year-over-year, driven by price hikes despite stable sales volumes. This suggests consumers prioritize health and are seeking products from companies within the index. However, stricter global regulations on food and supplements are adding complexity to manufacturing and distribution. Upcoming US legislation proposes mandatory supplement listing, while India's FSSAI aims to raise nutraceutical and health supplement standards due to non-compliant products. While these regulations prioritize consumer safety, they raise operational concerns for manufacturers.
🏆 East Asia Health Tech 200
The East Asia Health Tech 200 is HolonIQ’s annual list of the most promising startups working in digital health, biotech, drug discovery, and analytics in the region.
Among the cohort members, Scivita Medical Technology (a Chinese endoscopy manufacturer) stood out through its recent partnership extension. Boston Scientific (US-based medical device manufacturer) and Scivita Medical Technology have expanded their strategic cooperation arrangement to include endoscopic equipment. The partnership aims to develop new endoscopic instruments and broaden global distribution networks. The deal is anticipated to improve Scivita platform accessibility for medical clinics in China and other regions.
📊 2024 Global Health Tech Outlook
HolonIQ's annual analysis of the evolving Health Tech landscape offers over 190 pages of in-depth insights on market data, investments, strategic shifts, and trends in healthcare services, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical hardware. Download the extract or purchase the full report.
💰 Health Tech Deals of the Week
HolonIQ actively monitors and tracks deals in the Health industry, spanning across all regions of the world. Subscribe to our daily Impact Capital Markets newsletter to peruse the top deals for each day.
Funding
🦠 Moderna, a US-based biotech firm focusing on RNA drug discovery and development, received $750M in PIPE funding from Blackstone Sciences for the development of its flu vaccines.
💉 Varnotech, a Chinese biotech firm specializing in immunology therapeutics, secured $84M Series B led by Huayin Financial Investment to speed up clinical trials for its shingles and flu vaccines and construct a vaccine manufacturing facility.
🎗️ Avenzo Therapeutics, a US-based company that produces oncology therapy products, closed $150M Series A led by nine new investors to advance Avenzo's oncology pipeline with AVZO-021, a CDK2 inhibitor in Phase 1 trials for metastatic breast cancer and other tumors.
M&A
🩹 Gilead Sciences, a US biopharmaceutical company, has acquired CymaBay Therapeutics for $4.3B. The acquisition allows Gilead to integrate CymaBay's lead investigational product, Seladelpar, into its portfolio.
IPOs
🧖♂️ Galderma, a Swiss-based company dermatology products manufacturer, announced that it raised $2.2B through an IPO.
🧬 Stoke Therapeutics, a US-based genomics firm, announced that it plans to raise $125M through a follow-on equity offering.
🎗️ Boundless Bio, a US-based company that develops cancer therapeutics, announced that it raised $100M through an IPO.
Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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