1 July 2020 - Deborah Wilkes
iNova Pharmaceuticals is seeking consumer healthcare innovations through iPitch 2020, Reckitt Benckiser (RB) is working with ResApp Health on a smartphone app, and personalised probiotics specialist Sun Genomics has raised funding of USD8.65 million.
iNova launches iPitch 2020
iNova Pharmaceuticals is inviting product developers worldwide to submit consumer healthcare innovations to its iPitch crowdsourcing project.
The Australian company launched iPitch last year (click here to read the News story). It is preparing to launch two products resulting from the 2019 initiative.
iPitch 2020 is seeking innovations through a range of product-based challenges including:
- Boost pastilles
- Pregnancy safe products
- Topical pain spray
- Packaging and dosing device
- Sustainable packaging
- Cough product format innovation
- Hayfever and allergy product format innovationViral guard
iPitch 2020 will be open for applications for 12 weeks ending 21 August 2020.
Full information on iPitch is available at www.inovapharma.com/innovation.
RB works with ResApp Health
RB has signed a memorandum of understanding with Australian company ResApp Health, which is developing smartphone applications for the diagnosis and management of respiratory disease.
The aim is to develop a smartphone app for consumers using ResApp’s cough-based algorithms to identify different respiratory conditions and provide recommended next steps.
RB and ResApp have agreed to work together exclusively to build and test a prototype app for consumers to self-assess, or assess with the assistance of a pharmacist, their respiratory symptoms.
The exclusivity may be terminated by either party if a joint development agreement is not signed within six months.
Sun Genomics raises USD8.65 million
Personalised probiotics company Sun Genomics has raised USD8.65 million in a Series A funding round led by Pangaea Ventures.
Chris Erickson, founding general partner of Pangaea, has joined the board of Sun Genomics.
US-based Sun Genomics said the funding would be used to “support its growth in the custom probiotics market, scale delivery across the US, enter international markets, and propel the publication of its studies in partnership with leading academic institutions”.
Sun Genomics markets Floré personalised probiotics in the US (click here to read the News story).
Other investors in addition to Pangaea include Danone Manifesto Ventures, SOSV, Human Longevity and Nascita Ventures.
Sun Genomics said the latest round of financing brought its total funding to date to USD11.8 million.