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LiviWell raises US$3.3m for vaginal health device

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LiviWell has raised US$3.3m seed funding to advance FDA clearance and ready the launch of Livi, a post-intercourse device for vaginal microbiome balance.

Livi is a medical-grade polyurethane foam device inserted with an applicator immediately after intercourse. It absorbs semen and other fluids in under 60 seconds, helping to maintain vaginal pH and support the microbiome. The vaginal microbiome is the community of helpful bacteria that helps keep acidity in check.

LiviWell submitted Livi to the FDA in June 2025 and expects a decision in the coming months. The company says that, once cleared, Livi will be positioned as the first authorised product of its kind for post-intercourse vaginal care. The device has been tested in clinical trials led by physicians in women’s pelvic health.

“We are deeply grateful to our investors for believing in our vision and mission,” said Dawn Halkuff, chief executive of LiviWell. “This funding represents more than capital—it’s a validation of our team’s dedication and the potential impact Livi can have on women’s sexual health and quality of life. With this support, we’re positioned to navigate the FDA clearance process and bring Livi to the women who need it most.”

The oversubscribed seed round totalled US$3.3m and was anchored by Atlantic Venture Studio, a subsidiary of Atlantic Health System. LiviWell is based in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey.

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Kindbody unveils next-gen fertility platform

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Kindbody has launched a fertility platform integrating AI with clinical care and patient support for employers and health plans.

The platform will enter a pilot with select Kindbody employer clients in 2026, covering over three million lives, ahead of wider availability in 2027.

Building on the company’s clinical model, the platform aims to improve outcomes and cost efficiency across family-building journeys. It connects Kindbody-owned clinics, partner clinics and an integrated clinical app.

The app offers virtual care across conception, pregnancy and reproductive health, extending through the menopause transition.

Launch features include updates in medication management, third-party reproduction, adoption, pregnancy, men’s health and global programme design.

David Stern, chief executive of Kindbody, said: “With our next-generation fertility platform, Kindbody is redefining what comprehensive, intelligent and affordable family-building care looks like for employers, health plans and patients.

“By unifying best-in-class clinical care, AI-driven intelligence and whole-person support, we are making it easier and more cost-effective for more people to build the families they envision.”

Kindbody has expanded access via its national network of IVF centres, including IVIRMA, Inception Fertility and Ivy Fertility.

A new Fertility Medication Portal is designed to streamline authorisations so medicines can be dispensed on time, giving patients visibility from prescription to coverage, pharmacy fulfilment and delivery tracking.

Through KindMan, men’s health education, digital resources and integrated clinical care are expanding, including hormone management programmes.

Services cover andropause (age-related testosterone decline), erectile dysfunction, low testosterone and other male reproductive conditions.

Specialist fertility care includes semen analysis, diagnostic testing, male hormone panels, genetic testing, surgical sperm extraction and sperm cryopreservation.

Launching in the second quarter, a pregnancy support app will act as a digital companion for expecting and new parents, with resources, interactive tools and clinical assessments to identify social drivers of health and mental health needs during pregnancy and beyond.

Kindbody’s physician-led menopause programme provides consultations with board-certified obstetricians and gynaecologists to diagnose, treat and manage menopausal symptoms, including hormone replacement therapy where appropriate, with support from nutritionists, mental health therapists and pelvic floor specialists.

AI and analytics will be embedded across the care journey. An AI care navigator will guide employees from benefit activation through intake, triage and scheduling.

Tools will track benefits and treatment plans, showing coverage and expected out-of-pocket costs at each step.

AI-supported scribing will assist clinicians with documentation, and a predictor tool will estimate a patient’s likelihood of having a baby across different treatment paths.

In 2027, Kindbody plans a savings model for eligible large employers that it says will guarantee lower total fertility spend while improving clinical efficiency and patient experience.

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Kate Ryder headlines Women’s Health Week USA 2026 as full agenda goes live

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Women’s Health Week USA 2026 has unveiled its first populated agenda, anchored by an opening keynote from Kate Ryder, Founder and CEO of Maven Clinic, and featuring a cross-sector lineup shaping the next phase of scale in women’s health.

You can view the full agenda here.

Taking place May 13–14, 2026, at the New York Academy of Medicine, Women’s Health Week USA brings together the full women’s health ecosystem to focus on one central question: what does it take to move women’s health from innovation to institutional scale?

Kate Ryder will open Day 1 with a keynote drawing on her experience building Maven Clinic into the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health.

Under her leadership, Maven has partnered with employers and health plans to deliver care across fertility, maternity, postpartum, paediatrics, and menopause at scale.

Her perspective sets the tone for a program centered on commercialisation, partnership, and sustainable growth.

Beyond the opening keynote, the newly released agenda reflects the sector’s growing maturity.

Across two days, the program features 70+ speakers, with representation from leading organizations including the FDA, Planned Parenthood, CVS Health Ventures, Samsung Next, NIH, WHO, and Maven Clinic.

Sessions span investment and deal flow, clinical innovation, regulation, data and technology, and market expansion, alongside dedicated pitch sessions and curated 1:1 matchmaking designed to turn insight into action.

The agenda has been built to facilitate meaningful connections across the ecosystem, with partnerships positioned as the primary driver of scale.

As women’s health continues to attract institutional capital and global attention, Women’s Health Week USA 2026 offers a clear snapshot of where the market is heading, and who is shaping it.

The full agenda is now live, with additional speakers and partners to be announced in the coming months.

View the full programme here.

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Merck partners on intravaginal drug delivery device

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Calla Lily Clinical Care has partnered with Merck to support the intravaginal drug delivery platform Callavid in an effort to improve how vaginal medicines are given.

The collaboration will continue development of Callavid, described as a leak-resistant device that addresses challenges with self-administered vaginal therapies.

Callavid uses a small, tampon-shaped device with an integrated absorbent liner. It is inserted, remains in place during drug absorption, then is removed.

The platform is intended for use with medicines in fertility treatment, oncology and hormone therapy. Administration via the vaginal route can prompt patient anxiety about positioning, dosing accuracy and leakage.

The partnership is the first industry collaboration for the Callavid technology, which was developed by Calla Lily Clinical Care.

Thang Vo-Ta, co-founder and chief executive of Calla Lily Clinical Care, said: “This collaboration with Merck marks an important milestone in the development of Callavid, our novel vaginal drug delivery platform.

“Merck’s scientific heritage and forward-looking approach to innovation make them an ideal partner as we work to address long-standing unmet needs in women’s health.

“By improving how vaginal therapeutics are delivered and experienced, Callavid has the potential to enhance both patient outcomes and quality of life.

“We see this collaboration as a meaningful step towards translating our technology into real-world clinical and patient impact.”

Calla Lily Clinical Care is seeking to develop what it describes as the world’s first drug-device combination product to prevent threatened miscarriage and for IVF luteal phase support, the phase after ovulation when the body produces progesterone to support early pregnancy.

The device is also being developed to deliver therapeutics for oncology, menopause, infectious diseases and live biotherapeutics to reduce repeated antibiotic use.

Dr Lara Zibners, co-founder and chairman of Calla Lily Clinical Care, said: “Our initial engagement with Merck through the Merck Innovation Challenge in October 2024 was an important moment of alignment around the need for more patient-centric innovation in women’s health.

“As both a clinician and a patient, I have seen how profoundly drug delivery can shape treatment experience.

“This collaboration builds on that early dialogue and reflects a shared interest in rigorously exploring new approaches that may improve how therapies are delivered and experienced by patients.”

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