HealthQuest Capital raises $110M for healthcare investments
August 19, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani
HealthQuest Capital is looking to make some moves healthcare with its newly raised $110 million fund, looking for unmet needs in medical devices, diagnostics and information technology.
The Sofinnova Ventures-backed investment group garnered a lot of support for its inaugural fund, which was only expected to raise about $50 million. HealthQuest didn’t release the names of its backers, but said that the funds came from “endowments, pensions and family offices,” among others. Read more
ElectroCore seeks commercial partners for non-invasive headache tech
August 18, 2014 by Brad Perriello
ElectroCore said it tapped investment bank Piper Jaffray to help it court potential partners to commercialize the non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation treatment for headaches it’s developing.
The self-administered nVNS procedure is designed to treat migraine and cluster headaches, according to a press release; U.S. approval is expected in 2015, the company said. ElectroCore said it’s also working on trials for respiratory and gastric motility disorders, depression and anxiety. Read more
Seventh Sense lands $16M for non-invasive blood collection
August 13, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani
Massachusetts-based Seventh Sense Biosystems added 3 new investors this month with the closing of its Series B financing round, which brought in $16 million for the the company’s blood sampling devices.
Siemens, Novartis and Laboratory Corp. of America became new funders in this round, joining existing backers Flagship Ventures and Polaris Partners, 7SBio announced. Read more
PCORI dangles $90M in grants for comparative effectiveness research
August 18, 2014 by Arezu Sarvestani
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is looking to dole out $90 million in support for clinical research, the organization announced today.
PCORI is looking for studies that will highlight practical questions in healthcare in order to help patients, doctors and other healthcare stakeholders make more informed decisions. Called “comparative effectiveness research,” the studies aim to compare drugs, surgery, devices and other medical options based on their relative benefits and risks. Read more