‘The FDA Will Be Looking For Avenues To Regulate Laboratory Developed Tests’

FemTech leaders discussed some of the barriers that remain in unlocking the full potential of the women’s health market during SiS New York last week. They also offered solutions.

A battle may be forming over the 2027 FDA user fee reauthorizations. At a conference Friday, Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss supports them for their effectiveness, while Deputy FDA Commissioner Grace Graham echoed criticisms from HHS Sec. Kennedy, among others, in calling for reform to ensure public trust.

Flo Health was the first femtech unicorn to be valued at over $1bn. But the company faced 49 investment rejections before reaching that status, Anna Klepchukova, the company’s chief medical officer, told the LSX World Congress Europe. THENA Capital’s Esther Reynal de St Michel Richardot talked through the firm’s gender-smart investment strategy.

“It’s quite likely [consumer wearable manufacturers] are changing the sensitivity and specificity based on consumer feedback, but not for medical reasons,” said Dipak Kotecha, a University of Birmingham professor of cardiology. Often, self-reported performance evidence from manufacturers is “low quality and biased.”