Connecting the Dots for Women's Health: Innovation, Access, & Care | Future of Health Summit 2024

Federal Funding and Research Priorities

• ARPA-H has obligated $113 million in funding for women's health research as of the previous week, exceeding the initial $110 million announcement.
  • Funding supports two distinct tracks: "Spark" awards (18 initiatives) to incubate novel concepts and "Launchpad" awards for later-stage R&D with a target to market within 24 months.
  • A specific USC awardee is developing a combination therapy using novel brain drug targets and focused ultrasound to remove debris and slow Alzheimer's onset in women.
  • A diagnostic for endometriosis (Lauchpad awardee) aims to reduce diagnosis time from 10 years to three days via a non-invasive test.
• Research focus areas include:
  • Menopause: Moving from stigma to a market driven by employer demand and economic impact.
  • Reproductive Health: Encompassing fertility, contraception, and the full lifespan of reproductive care.
  • Maternal Health: Addressing high morbidity and mortality rates, particularly in communities of color.

Cultural Shifts and Data Privacy

• A significant cultural shift has occurred where women are increasingly vocal about health gaps, normalizing discussions around menopause, fertility, and family history in the workplace and healthcare settings.
  • One employer benefit provider saw its menopause product become its fastest-growing product line within two years of launch, signaling demand for midlife support.
• Data collection strategies face heightened scrutiny regarding patient safety and legal risks.
  • Experts warn against collecting non-HIPAA covered consumer health data (e.g., menstruation tracking) due to risks of exposure regarding abortion, which is becoming increasingly politicized and legally vulnerable.
  • The FTC is increasingly active in protecting health data outside HIPAA regulations, though long-term implications remain uncertain.

Access, Equity, and Implementation Gaps

• Despite technological advancements, access remains uneven due to insurance hurdles, out-of-pocket costs, and the "valley of death" where years elapse between discovery and clinical implementation.
  • ACOG notes that vetting new information and formulating clinical guidance inherently takes years, a timeline stakeholders aim to shorten.
• Employer-sponsored care is identified as a critical mechanism for expanding access to fertility treatments and IVF, with over half of Americans covered by large multinational companies.
  • Advocacy has driven a wave of employer contributions for maternity, IVF, and fertility preservation care, though this expansion required deliberate policy work rather than organic market forces.
• ARPA-H has institutionalized accessibility by incorporating "Heilemeyer questions" (derived from DARPA) into all proposals, requiring program managers to address affordability and accessibility from the concept stage.
• Significant racial disparities persist in childbirth outcomes, with Black and brown women suffering higher rates of severe morbidity and mortality.
  • ARPA-H and ACOG are deploying multidisciplinary teams and the "Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health" to disseminate evidence-based protocols directly to hospitals and clinics.

Private Sector Dynamics and Venture Capital

• Venture capital investment in women's health has grown 300% since 2018, yet still represents only 2% of total US healthcare venture funding.
  • Despite this low percentage, three funds have produced two billion-dollar-plus companies, and one investor's funds have raised capital from 2,000 individual women contributing between $25 and $10,000.
  • Approximately 150 additional "venture-ready" companies currently lack sufficient funding.
• High-potential innovations attracting private capital include:
  • Male Contraception: Development of a first-ever daily, non-hormonal male birth control pill, currently in research with a focus on reversibility timelines (30–90 days).
  • Non-Pharmacological Solutions: An FDA-cleared device called "Osteoboost" utilizing astronaut technology to treat osteopenia.
• Public-private partnerships are deemed essential to de-risk innovations and bridge the gap between federal R&D and commercial market entry.

Future Outlook and Structural Challenges

• Political and Funding Risks: While ARPA-H maintains bipartisan congressional funding obligations for the next two years, panelists express concern that a new administration could negatively impact specific research areas, particularly reproductive health.
  • ARPA-H leadership emphasizes a "bottom-up" approach where program managers drive unique ideas rather than top-down directives.
• Fragmentation of Care:
  • Abortion care is predicted to become increasingly isolated from mainstream healthcare rather than integrated, driven by legal and political pressures; success will rely on community organizations and innovative delivery models.
  • Conversely, fertility care (IVF) is experiencing "mainstreaming" with growing bipartisan consensus and private sector commitment.
  • Experts caution against the "mainstream" historically being defined by a white male standard of care, advocating for personalized medicine that accounts for biological differences across all women.
• Incentive Structures:
  • Concerns exist that the commercialization of fertility treatments may create incentives to push women toward IVF prematurely; holistic care models are needed to prioritize healthy pregnancies without unnecessary intervention.
  • Shift toward value-based care and clinical trial integration in large health systems is slow but underway to better align incentives with patient health outcomes.