- Investment round in the women's health space
also includes investment from pharma and specialist
investors
- Financing to support continued commercialization with health
plans and insurers in the US, UK and India
- MamaLift PlusTM is the first prescription digital
therapeutic for the treatment of postpartum depression
LONDON, Aug. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RYSE Asset
Management, the healthcare investor supporting innovative
early-stage companies transforming lives, announced it has
participated in a double digit investment round
for Curio Digital Therapeutics Inc., (Curio), an innovative US
company treating postpartum depression (PPD) and other
underserved women's mental health conditions. Strategic
investor ONCE, the
nutraceuticals venture capital arm of Otsuka; Bridge
Point Capital and Avestria also participated in the round.
New Jersey based Curio has
received FDA approval for its lead product MamaLift Plus. MamaLift
Plus is the women's health first prescription digital therapeutic
to receive SaMD Class2 approval. It treats postpartum depression, a
complex mental health disorder affecting as many as one in seven
women with a recent live birth experience.i The
FDA approved MamaLift Plus is a prescription–only digital
therapeutic for patients aged 22 years and older in conjunction
with clinician–managed outpatient care. It is intended to be
administered over eight weeks for the treatment of mild to moderate
PPD. MamaLift is underpinned by a Connected Care platform which
assesses women's risk of depression and integrates her treatment
with her existing healthcare providers. This is particularly
significant for providers who are required to report on levels of
depression amongst their female populations.
Curio is currently working with health plans, insurers and
corporate employee benefit plans in the US and India. They also work at a strategic level
with pharma companies and others who seek to engage with Curio's
data and underlying connected care platform which spans post-natal
depression, fertility and menopause.
The RYSE investment comes from its Special Opportunities
Fund that focuses on the most promising early-stage
investments globally between seed and series A. Dedicated to
transforming lives through cutting edge digital solutions, the fund
has an investment focus on digital diagnostics, digital
therapeutics and medical devices that will help solve the
challenges facing the NHS and other health and care delivery
systems globally. The fund recently welcomed new
investors including Future Care Capital, as a cornerstone investor,
and established global endowments, family offices and sophisticated
investors.
Vivien de Tusch-Lec, General
Partner at RYSE said: "This financing is a significant
milestone for RYSE Asset Management. As a clinically validated,
fully scalable, revenue generating solution, Curio is taking a
holistic approach to tackling women's health by designing
interventions that address behavioural management and physiological
conditions across Women's Life Cycle. We see a significant
opportunity for Mama Lift Plus, and for the other products in the
Company's pipeline."
Shailja Dixit, MD, MPH, MS,
CEO & Founder of Curio Digital Therapeutics said: "Our goal
has always been to provide innovative solutions for women's health,
specifically around the challenges they face with behavioral
health. MamaLift Plus is the first and only digital solution that
can help address the serious unmet need uniquely faced by women who
have recently delivered, and help make a conscious shift in women's
health. We are grateful to have the backing of RYSE, and our
committed new investors as we bring these products to new
markets."
ABOUT RYSE ASSET MANAGEMENT
RYSE Asset Management
is a venture firm backing innovators in healthcare. RYSE was
born out of a unique relationship with the NHS to
identify, support and invest in leading early-stage digital
healthcare companies to help them scale globally. Based in
London, the firm brings together a
team of professionals from all over the world with strong
scientific, medical and business expertise. RYSE has evolved
to collaborate with health systems and partners globally – with
private and public providers, pharmaceutical, insurance, medical
device companies – to drive revenue and exit.
Through the team's strategic partnerships with all sides of the
healthcare ecosystem RYSE's Special Opportunities Fund
provides early-stage entrepreneurs with the resources and
support needed to scale their ventures and make a meaningful impact
in healthcare.
For more information, please
visit https://www.ryseam.com/en/ and follow us on
LinkedIn.
ABOUT CURIO DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Curio Digital
is a pioneer in developing digital therapeutics solutions and
interventions across the behavioral health continuum for women
throughout the cycle of life. Curio aims to create a world where
every woman can access a behavioral health solution at her
fingertips. Curio is reshaping maternal mental health care by
leveraging proprietary algorithms, clinically validated screening
tools, and personalized digital behavioral interventions to
facilitate timely identification and care. Curio aspires to make
women's health products and solutions across their life cycle.
MamaLift Plus is a prescription-only digital therapeutic intended
to provide neurobehavioral interventions to patients 22 years of
age and older, as an adjunct to clinician-managed outpatient care.
Curio's AI-driven predictive algorithm, Curio-I, identifies and
risk stratifies women who would go on to develop common behavioral
health conditions. For more information, visit Curio
at www.curiodigitaltx.com.
ABOUT POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
Postpartum depression is
estimated to affect approximately one in seven women who have given
birth in the U.S. or approximately 500,000 women annually.i
ii Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most common
medical complications during and after pregnancy.iii
Clinical guidelines for treatment of postpartum depression
recommend medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. However,
many women may not be able to access these medications and
treatments due to national shortages in mental health providers,
insurance coverage, childcare challenges, transportation issues, or
breastfeeding status. Hence, there is an unmet need for novel
treatment modalities.
i March of Dimes.
https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/postpartum/postpartum-depression#:~:text=PPD%20is%20the%20most%20common,women%20(about%2015%20percent).
ii Bauman BL, et al. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report, 2020;69(19):575-581.X
iii "ACOG Committee Opinion No. 757: Screening for
Perinatal Depression." Obstetrics and gynecology vol. 132, 5
(2018): e208-e212. Doi:10.1907/AOG.0000000000002927.
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