Higher Productivity

At the initial stages, Elea’s pathology lab automation tool will change the way clinicians and any other staff in labs work. Elea sees an opportunity to increase productivity in the manual pathology lab workflows.

“We basically turn this all around, and all of the steps are much more automated. Doctors speak to Elea, the Medical technical assistants speak to Elea, tell them what they see, what they want to do with it,” Elea CEO and co-founder Dr. Christoph Schröder said.

With its AI-powered tool, the startup will replace legacy information systems and shift workflows to AI-based operating systems capable of deploying speech-to-text transcriptions to reduce the time needed to make diagnosis.

Elea has been running its digital pathology systems with its first batch of users for about half a year. The healthcare AI solutions startup says its systems have effectively redacted the time that labs take to generate about 50% of their reports to two days.

“Elea is the agent, performs all the tasks in the system and prints things, prepares the slides, for example, the staining and all those things, so that tasks go much, much quicker, much, much smoother. It doesn’t really augment anything, it replaces the entire infrastructure,” Schröder added.

Scaling Initial Product

Elea is developing several large language models by fin-tuning data and specialist information to facilitate core capabilities in pathology lab contexts. The startup embeds speech-to-text capabilities to transcribe voice notes. It also embeds text-to-structure capabilities, allowing its systems to convert transcribed voice notes into active directions that power actions of AI agents.

These actions include sending instructions to lab kits to facilitate workflows. Currently, the focus of the digital pathology systems startup is to scale its initial product. The integrated system can stack up and compound gains by replacing tedious tasks. Elea’s pitch to labs shows that processes that could take two to three weeks can be achieved within hours or days.

The startup offers users a range of touch points. Lab staff can access the system through iPad, web, or Mac applications. Once Elea has developed its lab use case fully, it will shift to areas where AI application in healthcare is widespread. The company plans to support doctors in capturing patient interactions while focusing strongly on workflow.

The Risk Factor

Although automating pathology labs with AI will lead to higher outputs, it could pose a challenge to checks because staff have to deal with huge volumes of data. Schröder sees this as a risk. He however argues that his company has developed a feature that allows AI to identify potential gaps through prompts that encourage doctors to review outputs again.

“We call it a second pair of eyes, where we evaluate previous findings reports with what the doctor said right now and give him comments and suggestions,” he says.

The other risk that Elea AI technology poses is breach of patient confidentiality due to reliance on cloud-based processing as opposed to on-premise processing that labs can control. Schröder says his startup addresses this issue by separating patient identity from diagnostic outputs.

“It’s always anonymous along the way, every step just does one thing, and we combine the data on the device where the doctor sees them. We have basically pseudo IDs that we use in all of our processing steps, that are temporary, that are deleted afterward, but for the time when the doctor looks at the patient, they are being combined on the device for him,” Elea CEO said.

Schröder said that the company stores patient data in servers that comply with stringent data privacy laws.

“We work with servers in Europe, ensuring that everything is data privacy compliant. Our lead customer is a publicly owned hospital chain, called critical infrastructure in Germany. We needed to ensure that, from a data privacy point of view, everything is secure. And they have given us the thumbs up,” he added.

Founded in early 2024, Elea has already signed a partnership with a leading German hospital group that processes up to 70,000 cases each year.

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Teresa Graham, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals said of the exclusive collaboration and licensing agreement, “We are excited to collaborate with Zealand Pharma and develop this promising therapy, which we hope will provide people living with obesity and related comorbidities a new treatment option,”

The Zealand Pharma deal highlights the growing investments in biotech obesity drugs as pharma giants speed up for developing new weight loss treatments. Under the deal, Zealand Pharma will get a payment of $1.65 billion. Other milestone payments summing up to $5.3 billion will be based on Phase 3 trial results and sales performance, Roche said.

The Roche Zealand Pharma Deal

The Roche Zealand Pharma agreement includes an upfront payment of $280 million for Zealand Pharma and with some further milestone payments worth potentially a total of $5.3 billion. The agreement gives Roche exclusive global rights for the development, manufacturing, and marketing of the obesity drug candidate.

In the United States and Europe, Zealand and Roche will together do the commercialization of Petrelintide.  While Roche will hold exclusive commercialization rights for the rest of the world. Profits and losses for Petrelintide, along with a fixed-dose of Roche’s CT-388, will be shared equally, according to Roche.

Competition Heats Up

The Zealand Pharma partnership puts Roche in competition with big pharmaceutical companies, such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. These drugs have changed the market. It enables patients to lose substantial amounts of weight and reduce the risk of obesity-related conditions. This deal is Roche’s bet that it can push a breakthrough therapy to market successfully, and it could gain an edge in competitiveness in the multi-billion-dollar-obesity-drug market.

As the global fight against obesity intensifies, Roche’s obesity drug collaboration with Zealand Pharma could mark the beginning of a new era in weight loss treatments. The success of this partnership will be closely watched as both companies work to bring a new, innovative therapy to patients worldwide.

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Getinge said, “Growth was particularly strong in ventilators. Consumables in extracorporeal life support in its biggest unit, Acute Care Therapies, and sterile transfer in the smaller business area, Life Science, also showed solid performance.”

Getinge Q4 Profit Beats Estimates

Getinge’s Q4 profits exceed market expectations, highlighting the company’s dedication even while facing economic challenges. The company’s high profits in the last quarter were a result of strong demand for its surgical, life-saving medical devices and improvements in operational efficiency.

Analysts had predicted stable growth, but the actual performance by Getinge has been better than expected, strengthening its position in the medical technology sector. While predicting a 2 to 5% sales increase for 2025, Getinge said, “Despite geopolitical uncertainties and potential trade barriers, our industry is likely to remain relatively stable, driven by long-term healthcare needs and hospitals’ willingness to invest”.

Getinge, the leading manufacturer of medical equipment products, ventilators, cardiovascular, and sterilizers used in healthcare facilities globally. The firm’s supply chain was effective in light of disrupted and inflationary factors that ensured that the revenues would continue to rise with time.

The unexpected increase in Getinge’s Q4 profit was welcomed by investors, making the share price of the medical manufacturer jump to its highest level in months. Strong investor sentiment and optimism about future profitability have boosted the stock above sector averages.

Future Outlook for Getinge

The strong fourth-quarter results position the medical equipment manufacturer Getinge with sustained growth prospects. Getinge intends to use capital gains toward innovation investments and worldwide market growth expansion in addition to solid financial management.

According to industry experts, Getinge can sustain profitability through their medical advancements together with a cost efficiency focus. The increasing demand for advanced medical technologies points toward getinge’s ability to keep steadily growing through 2025 and beyond

Getinge said, “Structural and cost efficiency measures boosted the quarterly operating margin. Its adjusted EBITA margin rose to 19.4% from 13.3% a year ago”.

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Proton’s Potassium Monitoring Device

Proton is making a tiny device that users will insert below the skin to monitor potassium levels in their body. The wearable biosensor for potassium will then be connected to a smartphone app to enable users to keep tabs on their potassium levels.

When their potassium levels surpass the safe range depending on diet or medication, users will receive a notification on their phones. The comes with a dashboard that displays analytics of potassium trends for the user. Clinicians and care teams can use this data to polish treatment and therapies.

Proton was co-founded by Sahan Ranamukhraarachchi and Victor Cadarso who researched wearable biosensors in Switzerland ten years ago. After their research job,Cadarso joined Monash University in Melbourne as a Professor of Micro and Nano-sensors.
Ranamukhraarachchi, on the other hand, founded Microdermics- a skin-based drug delivery startup.

Patient Needs

The duo says that potassium imbalance is a real problem for many patients. About 10% of the global population suffers from chronic kidney disease. Thousands of patients die every year due to low access to affordable health care. The Proton team invested heavily on their chronic kidney disease monitoring product, conducting in depth interviews with more than 100 care teams.

“These highlighted the devastating consequences of ‘flying blind’ when managing potassium levels, because delays in monitoring often lead to preventable hospitalizations, stopping therapies, or even sudden cardiac death,” Proton CEO Ranamukhraarachchi said.

He added that patients talked about their persistent fear of potassium imbalance. They wondered whether missing a blood test or eating a banana would impact their health or in extreme cases, put their lives at risk.

Competition Landscape

As Proton Intelligence enters the wearable biosensor industry, it will be competing with various players in the sector. These include AliveCor, which indirectly estimates potassium levels through cardiac activity detection. The startup has raised about $154 million from investors.

Another competitor is Spain-based Renalyse that monitors potassium levels through blood samples. This startup has already raised €1 million. Proton will also be competing with Alio that has raised $46 million to monitor potassium levels in dialysis patients. But Proton founders say their wearable biosensor product has a higher competitive advantage and is more scalable.

“No other technology currently offers this level of usability, accuracy and clinical impact,” Ranamukhaarachchi added.

Proton’s seed funding round was led by the SOSV health tech investment company. Other investors who participated in the funding round include WeVenture Capital, LongeVC, Trampoline, Tenmile, Exor, and 15th Rock Venture Partners.

“We are proud to be the first institutional investor in Proton Intelligence… and we are excited to continue to support them as they move into clinical validation,” SOSV General Partner Mohan S. Lyer said.

Proton’s commercial headquarters is in Canada. The startup has a fully-fledged research and development subsidiary in Melbourne, Australia.

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Unlock Improved ROI
With Full Visibility From Ad Click to Patient Visit

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CNBC reported that the new partnership is aimed at boosting Suki AI healthcare efforts to develop Q&A and patient summary features using the Vertex AI platform. This Google Cloud platform enables developers to tune, train, and deploy varying AI applications and models.

Improving Suki Assistant

Suki’s initial AI product, Suki Assistant, makes it easy for doctors to record patient visits and automatically convert them into clinical notes. By doing so, the AI assistant eliminates the menial task of taking notes manually.

Through the Suki Google Cloud partnership, the AI startup will push these capabilities a notch higher. It marks the next frontier for the company by offering Suki assistant users with a more assistive technology.

“We were never really building a clinical documentation tool only, it was supposed to be an assistant. An assistant can help you with documentation, but it can also start doing other things,” Suki Founder and CEO Punit Soni said.

Range of New Features

Suki says that leveraging all the patient data available could automatically save clinicians between 15 and 30 minutes that they spend searching patient information. Suki’s AI startup partnership with Google Cloud offers new features that enable doctors to ask questions first and retrieve relevant information about the medical history of their patients.

Doctors will also be able to read patient’s biographical information, their visit history, and their reason for visit with a single click. The Suki and Google Cloud features will generate summaries for users highlighting details like patient’s age, chronic illnesses, previous prescriptions, and any other medical problems.

Where doctors have specific questions regarding a patient, they can use the AI startup’s Q&A button to enter queries. Users can query the patient database using prompts such as ‘What vaccines did the patient take?’ or ‘show me his last A1C’.

“To me, this is actually a larger trend of the AI design, or AI-ification, of health care”, Soni added.

The patient summary feature is already available to selected clinicians. Suki says general availability of this feature and the Q&A will commence early 2025. The company says that initially, the Q&A feature will respond to queries based on patient data. However, the Suki will expand this scope with time. Users will not pay more to use the new features.

Addressing Health Pain Points

Suki’s healthcare technology is designed to address pain points in delivery of health services in the US. Administrative tasks are a leading cause of burnouts among healthcare workers in the country that medical executives are keen to address. Overally, clinicians spend close to 28 hours each week performing administrative tasks. This includes close to 9 hours on patient documentation alone.

Tech tools that automate these tasks like Suki have gained popularity and attracted investors. In October 2024, the company closed a $70 million funding round. Currently, Suki’s tech solution is being used by 350 clinics and health systems across the US. The healthcare AI startup tripled its customer base this year. Suki is looking to stand out in the highly competitive market with its new offerings.

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Unlock Improved ROI
With Full Visibility From Ad Click to Patient Visit

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Technology has solved many of the world’s problems, but it has also created new ones. Early innovations gave us convenience and progress, but they also led to pollution, waste, and environmental challenges. As we seek solutions to reduce waste and pollution, green technologies in sustainable engineering offer practical solutions to tackling environmental challenges.

The latest technology trends focus on using natural resources to improve traditional engineering methods. These trends emphasize sustainability and aim to minimize environmental impact. By embracing these advancements, we can work toward a future that values efficiency, sustainability, and environmental health.

At the end of this article, you will understand why we need to reimagine tomorrow with sustainable engineering. You will also see real life examples of green technologies in sustainable engineering, and future trends to reduce carbon emissions and achieve a circular economy.

What is Sustainable Engineering?

Sustainable engineering refers to the ability to design new innovative products that solve present needs without compromising the capacity of future generations to meet their own needs. It uses energy and resources sustainably to address the complex challenges of our time and to achieve global climate goals.

One key principle of sustainable engineering you need to know is embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact, conserve resources, and enhance human well-being.

In addition, sustainable engineering is an interdisciplinary field that integrates principles of environmental, social, and economic considerations into the design, construction, and operation of engineering projects.

Top 7 Green Technologies in Sustainable Engineering to Look Out For

1. Renewable Energy Innovations

One of the green technologies you need to look out for is renewable energy innovations.
Renewables like solar, wind, tidal, and hydropower are forecast to be a rapidly increasing source of energy globally. These renewable sources are energy on earth used as resources for cutting-edge technologies to help reduce gas emissions and offer cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels.

These technologies combine to generate renewable electricity, with notable breakthroughs like floating solar farms, high-capacity wind turbines, and next-gen battery storage systems.

An excellent example of renewable energy innovation is the Hywind Scotland floating wind farm, the world’s first. Located off the coast of Scotland, it uses advanced floating turbine technology to generate renewable electricity in deep-water areas previously inaccessible to traditional wind farms.

2. Green Building Materials and Techniques

Another pioneering green technology you will find interesting is smart building technology. Green buildings integrate energy-efficient systems, sustainable materials, natural lighting, and passive heating and cooling to minimize environmental impact.

Furthermore, engineers use eco-friendly techniques like modular designs, 3D-printed structures, and passive house standards with innovative materials, such as recycled components, carbon-capturing concrete, and sustainable insulation.

The Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) in Milan, Italy, exemplifies green building practices by integrating sustainable materials and innovative techniques. The twin residential towers feature thousands of trees and plants on their facades, which act as natural insulation, improve air quality, and reduce urban heat.

Together, these approaches contribute to sustainable engineering by reducing waste, lowering energy consumption, and improving resource efficiency.

3. Water Conservation and Wastewater Treatment

Several innovative ideas have been created to address the global waste crisis by developing water reclamation systems, greywater recycling, and advanced filtration methods.

In addition, you can use AIoT technology to monitor and control water usage in urban and industrial settings, allowing for early detection of leaks, distribution, and reduction of water waste.

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) Groundwater Replenishment System in California is a standout example of advanced water reclamation. It reclaims wastewater and purifies it through advanced filtration methods to produce high-quality potable water.

This system conserves water in a drought-prone region and reduces reliance on imported water, showcasing how innovative treatment technologies address water scarcity.

4. Circular Economy in Engineering

The circular economy is another latest technology in sustainable engineering used to reduce reuse and recycle waste. This approach uses a closed-loop system and a sustainable cycle to convert waste into valuable resources.

For instance, waste-to-energy processes can help you turn waste products into usable energy, reducing landfill use while generating power. Furthermore, Industrial symbiosis and material recycling support this cycle, as one industry’s byproducts become raw materials for another, conserving resources and promoting sustainability across sectors.

The Kalundborg Symbiosis in Denmark is a prime example of industrial symbiosis within a circular economy. This network of companies exchanges byproducts, such as steam, water, and waste materials, turning them into resources for other industries.

For example, excess heat from a power plant is used to heat homes, and waste products from pharmaceutical production are converted into fertilizers.

5. Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS)

CCUS technologies capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial sources, preventing their release into the atmosphere. These emissions are repurposed into valuable products like fuels, building materials, and plastics, driving innovation in carbon utilization.

Recent advancements demonstrate the potential for turning waste CO₂ into resources, making industries more sustainable and eco-friendly.

CCUS technologies have been deployed in projects like the Boundary Dam Power Station in Canada, which captures CO₂ from coal-fired power plants to prevent atmospheric release. This real-world application showcases the transformative potential of CCUS in addressing climate change.

6. Green Hydrogen

Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy sources like solar or wind power. You can use it as a clean fuel in transportation, energy storage, and industrial processes. This technology reduces reliance on fossil fuels and cuts greenhouse gas emissions, offering a sustainable solution for a greener future.

For example, Green Hydrogen is making an impact through projects like the Hybrit initiative in Sweden, which produces fossil-free steel by replacing coal with green hydrogen in steelmaking. In the transportation sector, Toyota’s Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and initiatives like the H2 Mobility network in Germany demonstrate how green hydrogen can power cars and refueling stations.

These projects offer a clean energy alternative and highlight green hydrogen’s role in reducing industrial and transportation emissions.

7. Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Electric vehicles represent a breakthrough in sustainable engineering. They offer a clean alternative to traditional fuel-powered cars. EVs reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and promote renewable energy integration. The intersection of EVs and smart cities is also shaping urban mobility by offering a sustainable way for you to move around.

Tesla’s electric cars, such as the Model 3, are a leading example of EV technology revolutionizing transportation by reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

In the meantime, public transit systems are also adopting EVs, like the BYD electric buses used in Shenzhen, China, where the city’s bus fleet is fully electric.

Finally, companies like Rivian produce EVs for commercial use, including Amazon’s delivery vans, contributing to sustainable logistics solutions.

Wrapping Up: Future Trends for Sustainable Engineering

Sustainable engineering redefines how we interact with the planet, emphasizing balance and environmental stewardship. Emerging technologies like edge computing further enhance sustainability by optimizing energy use and improving design efficiency.

Innovations like Google’s carbon-neutral data centers demonstrate how companies merge technology with sustainability to achieve lasting impacts. This example underscores the transformative potential of sustainable engineering in shaping a better future for you. By merging innovation with sustainability, we can create a lasting positive impact for future generations.

The post Sustainable Engineering Innovations: The Future of Green Tech appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Regulatory Clearance

Based on the tech company’s 51.7 million outstanding shares, the CompuGroup medical deal is valued at approximately $1.2 billion. CVC has been negotiating the deal after it raised €26 billion in 2023 last year for the biggest buyout fund in the world.

The lowest acceptable threshold for the deal is set at 17%. The company was seen to contrast its peers that were forced to either adjust their expectations or delay their fundraising efforts. CVC’s financial statements show that the capital firm deployed about €13.4 billion between January and June this year.

Maintaining Founder Interests

CompuGroup’s supervisory board plans to recommend that offer for shareholder approval after review. The two companies have signed a strategic partnership as they await completion of the deal. CVC ‘s new investment will enable CompuGroup’s founding Gotthardt family to stay invested in the business just as they were before.

In the CompuGroup medical premium deal, the Gotthardt family and its other investment vehicles will retain about 50.1% stakes. CompuGroup was founded by Frank Gotthardt in 1987. Frank, his dentist wife Brigitte Gotthardt, their son Daniel Gotthardt, and another stakeholder, Reinhard Koop are the majority owners of the company.

Performance and Changes

In July this year, CompuGroup named Daniel Gotthardt as the new CEO after terminating Michael Rauch’s contract early. In its profit alert, the company forecasted a dip in operating profits. The forecasts were based on challenges it had been encountering serving doctors and health facilities.

The profit dip forecasts caused company stocks to tumble. CompuGroup share prices dipped to a 10-year low after the company reduced its 2024 fiscal guidance. The company’s shares had declined by 57% since the beginning of the year. This changed on Friday December 6, 2024 after they surged by 31%.

CompuGroup offers Ambulatory Information Systems and IT services for pharmacies and hospitals. Its software helps doctors and hospitals to manage patient data. In 2023, the company’s total revenue stood at €1.19 billion. The company’s third quarter revenues amounted to €283.4 million. Headquartered in Koblenz Germany, CompuGroup operates in 19 countries and has 8,700 employees. Its software products are used in 60 countries

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Bohumil was one of the top manufacturing facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic for Novavax that produced its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, Nuvaxovid. However, with declining global vaccine demand, Novavax Czech Republic operations became less central to the company’s strategy.

Novavax Announces Sale

According to Novavax President and CEO John C. Jacobs, the decision to sell aligns with the company’s broader goals. “The decision to sell the Czech Republic manufacturing facility aligns with our previously announced commitment to evolve Novavax into a more lean and agile organization focused on partnering our pipeline assets and technology platform,” Jacobs stated.

The Novavax sale announcement reinforces the company’s commitment to advancing its pipeline, which includes vaccines targeting a standalone influenza vaccine and COVID-19 influenza combination vaccine.

Moreover, the company has been falling behind vaccine makers including Moderna and Pfizer, who achieved more than 3 billion in sales for their mRNA COVID-19 shots in the third quarter. The sale of Novavax’s Czech Republic manufacturing facility comes soon after the vaccine manufacturer signed a licensing deal, worth $1.2 billion deal with French drugmaker, Sanofi for a 5% stake in their business

Novo Nordisk Deal

The Novo Nordisk deal is remarkable for the Danish pharmaceutical company, which is already a world leader in treatments regarding diabetes and obesity care. The acquisition of the Bohumil facility will help Novo Nordisk increase its production of active pharmaceutical ingredients to meet the growing demand in the global market.

This acquisition of Novovax’s Czech manufacturing unit will be of strategic importance for Novo Nordisk as it will help in improving its global network of manufacturing and support in achieving long-term growth goals. The Bohumil site will also be important in accomplishing Novo Nordisk’s current aim of diversifying and growing its product range, especially in areas of high customer interest.

Novavax Czech Republic Sale

The $200 million transaction provides a financial boost to Novavax, to help the company overcome the decline in revenue from COVID-19 vaccines. For Novo Nordisk, adding the Bohumil site is a strategic move toward scaling its API production as it continues to be an innovation leader and market player.

This Novo Nordisk expansion represents a new dynamic in the pharmaceutical industry where companies prioritize asset optimization and strategic partnerships. The deal is expected to close in early 2025, depending on regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

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Oura’s International Expansion Plan

By participating in the Web Summit, Oura is seeking to boost its band awareness outside the US borders. The company also wants more people to know about smart rings. Speaking in Lisbon during the Web Summit Conference, Oura CEO Tom Hale said this awareness would benefit the company.

“I think the point about the category being something that people are learning about, the unique benefits of that maturity, is in our favor. We’re expanding internationally,” Hale said.

Oura is looking to venture into countries like Germany, the UK, Italy, and France. Oura has sold over 2.5 million smart rings since it entered the market in 2013. Analysts have termed the smart ring leader, Oura, a pioneer in the industry. CCS Insights predicts that Oura’s smart ring market share will close the year at 49%.

Emerging Competition

Oura has been facing minimal competition since it launched in 2013. However, the competition landscape is changing after the world’s biggest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung ventured into the industry this year. Analysts claim that the launch of the Galaxy ring has popularized Samsung and Oura Smart rings to a broader audience.

But Oura says it’s not worried about the entry of the tech giant into the smart ring industry with a product that competes with the Oura Smart Ring. Hale downplayed the impact of Samsung’s entry.

“A major tech company is making an announcement saying, ‘hey, this is a category that matters. It’s going to be something that’s big.’ I think it’s probably helpful. In terms of the impact on our business, it has made zero impact. If anything, our business has gotten stronger since their announcement,” Hale told CNBC.

Market Positioning

Hale says that he is focused on positioning Oura as a health and science company with clinical grad products. Currently, the company is pursuing a Food and Drug Administration approval in the US so that the smart rings that Oura produces can be used for diagnostics. Although he did not provide more details about this, Hale said Oura’s focus on health and science differentiates it from its rivals.

“If you’re actually thinking of yourself as a healthcare company, it is very different in many ways, and there are different postures you might take towards data privacy. So instead of being like a tech company where data is some sort of oil to be extracted and then used to create some kind of advantage of network effects, we’re really a healthcare company where your data is sacrosanct,” Hale said.

In October 2024, Oura launched an advanced smart ring, Oura Ring 4 that comes with a range of sensors. With the features, users can track health metrics that allow them to determine how prepared they are for their days and collect feedback about the quality of their sleep. The company’s business model thrives on the sale of hardware. Users also pay a $5.99 monthly subscription fee to access other Oura Smart ring features like health insights.

“We look more like a software company than we do look like a hardware company. And I think that’s a function of the business model, and the fact that it’s working. Our subscribers are continuing to pay,” Hale said.

Currently, Oura’s international subscribers amount to about 2 million.

Eying the Nutrition Arena

Oura says it’s already testing new features in the nutrition arena. The new food tracking feature will allow users to be able to take a photo of their meals and add it to the Oura App. The company has also acquired metabolic health startup, Veri that will help in getting data from continuous glucose monitors to gather insights about blood sugar levels. Oura will combine the two features to give users insights into how certain foods affect their glucose levels.

Oura only develops smart rings. But there is a possibility that Oura will develop other products in the future. The company is looking to work with other hardware companies like Samsung and Apple as it explores ways to advance its AI capabilities in order to give users more personalized insights.

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According to Reuters, Novo Holdings, the parent organization of Novo Nordisk, plans to acquire contract drug manufacturer Catalent for $16.5 billion. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group and SEIU expressed their concerns regarding the Catalent deal, stating that this acquisition would lead to unfair competition and a reduction in patent access in the diabetes and weight loss drug categories.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren Raises Concerns

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren also asked the FTC to look deeper into the deal. Novo Holdings already owns 54% of the market share in the sale of the GLP-1 drug, and the Catalent deal could create an unfair advantage for Novo Holdings. It would be unfair to competitors like AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Amgen, and Roche.

The groups stated, “Because of the proposed acquisition, there is a real question of whether these future rivals to Novo will be able to secure the expertise to bring the product to market and have the available and qualified capacity to manufacture these products when they commercially launch.”

Broader Impact on Other Pharmaceutical Companies

The groups also noted that other pharmaceutical organizations like Sun Pharma, Viking Therapeutics, and Structure Therapeutics are also developing GLP-1 drugs. If the deal goes through, these companies could also be negatively affected. Novo Holdings signed the deal to acquire Catalent in February 2024 to increase the supply of their flagship drug Wegovy.

The terms of the deal allow Novo Holdings to sell three of Catalent’s factories, where injection pens are kept in sterile conditions, to Novo Nordisk for $11 billion. These factories are located in Italy, Belgium, and the United States.

Novo Nordisk has stated that it would honor all the existing contracts at the plants but is unaware of any competitive GLP-1 products being manufactured in the factory for commercial sale.

Industry Response and Roche’s Position

A spokesperson from Roche did not comment on the letter but mentioned that the company is committed to moving forward with the clinical trials of the GLP-1 drug it has developed. Roche has been able to increase its commercial production “by using a mix of in-house and external manufacturing,” according to the spokesperson.

The proposed acquisition has raised significant concerns across the pharmaceutical industry, with critics warning that it could stifle competition in the GLP-1 drug market, ultimately limiting access to innovative treatments for diabetes and weight loss.

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