Medical device company, Alydia Health, was acquired by Organon for $240 million. The transaction closed after Organon spun off from Merck in June 2021. Founded in 2010, Alydia Health is a commercial-stage medical device company aimed at preventing maternal morbidity and mortality caused by postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). Historically, treatments available for PPH include medications that contract the uterus and gauze to stop bleeding. Alydia’s device, the Jada System, is designed to encourage normal contraction of the uterus to stop excessive bleeding after childbirth.
Months prior to the official purchase, Merck agreed to acquire Alydia through spinning out a standalone publicly traded company, Organon, that focuses specifically on women’s healthcare, legacy products and biosimilars, while the pharmaceutical giant continues to target oncology, vaccines, hospital drugs and animal health.
Big players are making moves in the sexual health and women’s health medical device space
Research indicates that Hologic, Cooper Surgical and Boston Scientific are taking a particular interest in medical devices within the sexual health and women’s health industries. Hologic kicked off 2021 with two large medical device acquisitions: Sometex Medical from E-Med Solutions, which makes minimally invasive devices for breast tumour diagnosis, biopsy and treatment, for $64m and Biotheranotics, a company that provides molecular diagnostic tests for breast and metastatic cancers, for approximately £230m. Given how active these companies have been recently, we’re excited to see how they’ll respond to the growing disruption and innovation of sexual health and women’s health medical devices.
Innovation in the sexual health and women’s health medical device space proves ripe for purchase
From fertility, contraception and maternity to menopause, ovarian and pelvic floor health; the industry is booming with innovation. OCON has brought to market a three-dimensional spherical IUD technology, ideally shaped for the female anatomy, which addresses a myriad of women’s health issues through the uterus, while avoiding systemic side effects from taking oral birth control. Maternal Medical is a medical device company focused on preserving and maintaining women’s pelvic health. In 2018, the team launched Milli, the first expanding vaginal dilator to address pelvic pain in the general population. Cosm is dedicated to creating personalized pelvic devices for women’s unique bodies and needs. Its product, Gynethotics™ is the world’s first custom-made gynaecological prosthetic for women with pelvic floor disorders. Contraline is developing ADAM™, the world’s first injectable hydrogel designed to provide men with long-lasting contraception. In the fertility space, Selectivity holds two patented medical devices aimed at enhancing the fertility success rate via non-invasive technology that allows the self-selection of the healthiest and most suitable sperm for fertilization and intrauterine insemination.
Most of the aforementioned startups have launched within the past decade, according to past trends we should expect to see exits in the next 5 years. At ASV, we’re excited to see what innovations the next decade has to offer.
Head over to our blog page to read more ASV Insights. Next time, we look at the trend of CPGs seeking innovation via purpose-driven brands.
