A Call to Action: Eradicating Cervical Cancer Through Innovation and Investment
Written by Dr. Brittany Barreto, Founder & CEO, FemHealth Insights
The global health community stands at a critical juncture in the fight against cervical cancer, a disease that has long cast a shadow over women's health. Recent years have seen a surge in awareness and action, with cervical cancer startups Amplexd Therapeutics, Ananya Health, and Mission-Driven Tech leading the charge. These companies, formed by a coalition of clinicians, scientists, engineers, and survivors, are pioneering innovative treatments to tackle this pressing issue. Their open letter, aligned with the World Health Organization and leaders of the global Cervical Cancer Elimination movement, calls for a concerted effort to eradicate this disease.
The Impact of Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer poses a significant threat to women's health worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, it's a disease that can be prevented through HPV vaccination, screened via HPV and Pap Testing, and treated effectively with methods like cryotherapy and brachytherapy for invasive cases. Despite these measures, cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in low- and middle-income countries, with over 600,000 new cases diagnosed annually. The disease's ripple effects are profound, impacting families and communities as it claims the lives of breadwinners and caregivers.
In the United States alone, AUB accounts for one-third of outpatient visits to gynecologists and more than 70% of gynecologic consults among perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. The economic toll is staggering. Based on individual reimbursement claims data from Definitive Health, the U.S. spends over $33 billion annually on AUB-related healthcare, not to mention the indirect costs associated with lost productivity and absenteeism from work and school.
Despite its prevalence and impact, AUB remains a condition shrouded in silence and stigma, with two-thirds of affected women not seeking the help they need. This reluctance is compounded by healthcare providers' often dismissive attitudes towards women’s reports of heavy menstrual bleeding, leaving many women to suffer in silence and without adequate care.
The Vision of Amplexd Therapeutics, Ananya Health, and Mission-Driven Tech
Amplexd Therapeutics is at the forefront of developing noninvasive topical treatments for HPV-induced cervical dysplasia, the precursor to cervical cancer. Led by patient-scientist and CEO Alia Rahman, Amplexd is developing an intravaginal suppository as alternatives to “watching and waiting” when low-grade dysplasia is detected and a photodynamic therapy (PDT) system to replace the invasive surgical options when high-grade dysplasia is present.
“Born out of my own experience with chronic cervical dysplasia, the intention was to develop technologies that have the potential to treat without inducing undue harm, both at the physical and psychological level,” says Rahman, “but that on its own isn’t enough, making treatments that are affordable globally is the ultimate priority, as all too often, drugs and medical devices that could be most beneficial to developing economies are created with only high-income regions of the world in mind. We wanted to do things differently, and from the initial ideation stage, we placed strict design criteria around cost of manufacturing and usability in a rural or remote setting.”
Ananya Health, cofounded by Anu Parvatiyar and Julie Yip and Dr. Daniel Burnett, is creating tools for treating pre-cancerous cells at the point of diagnosis. Their innovative CRCL platform is a portable, cost-effective cryoablation system designed to prevent abnormal cervical lesions from progressing into cancer at any clinic, making treatment more accessible even when specialists, surgeons, and lab infrastructure is lacking.
"At Ananya Health, our mission is to make high-quality standard of care treatments accessible through intentional, inclusive design. By designing with users, always placing the emphasis on clinicians and patients, we can build context-appropriate products with greater impact," says Yip. Ananya Health’s technology leverages existing clinical workflows to bring preventative services to women in their local communities – reducing loss to follow up along the way.
Mission-Driven Tech, cofounded by Dr. Onyinye Balogun and Eve McDavid, in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine, is transforming gynecologic cancer care with modern technology. Their focus is on developing a new, female-fitted brachytherapy medical device for curative internal radiation procedures to improve the safety, outcomes, and access to care for cervical cancer treatments.
“In Brachytherapy today, instead of being cured, women drop out from treatment and die preventable deaths because they can’t, for good reason, tolerate the pain and trauma,” says McDavid. “And this is for the women who are lucky enough to access care. Second to systemic inequities that prevent women from accessing brachytherapy all-together, the greatest challenge is that the treatment medical devices are from the 1970s, twenty years before women’s inclusion in clinical trials. The dated technology negatively impacts patient outcomes and provider interest in performing procedures.”
Three Calls to Action
The open letter penned by these companies outlines three crucial calls to action; investment, research, and innovation.
Investment: The letter highlights the profitable potential of cervical cancer elimination, with a $10.5 billion global investment potentially returning $273 billion to the global economy. It urges funders and philanthropists to recognize the economic and societal benefits of investing in cervical cancer elimination.
Research: A profound understanding of cervical cancer's causes and effects is crucial. The letter emphasizes the need for well-funded research to explore deeper questions about women's health, drawing parallels with other fields of medicine where investment has led to significant advancements.
Innovation: Finally, the letter calls for innovation as a byproduct of investment and research. It stresses the importance of developing new treatment technologies and approaches to cervical cancer, highlighting the lag in advancements compared to other cancers.
Conclusion: A Unified Effort Against Cervical Cancer
The collective efforts of Amplexd Therapeutics, Ananya Health, and Mission-Driven Tech represent a pivotal moment in the fight against cervical cancer. Their call to action is a rallying cry for governments, private industry, and philanthropic organizations to prioritize and support the eradication of this disease. Their message is clear: the time for action is now. By focusing on investment, research, and innovation, we can turn the tide against cervical cancer, saving millions of lives and paving the way for a healthier future for women worldwide.
You can read their open letter here: https://ananyahealth.docsend.com/view/i27xa2n8ztsdz8xz
About the Author:
Dr. Brittany Barreto, Ph.D., is Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at FemHealth Insights. Every day, Brittany dedicates her work to advancing women’s health innovation by equipping key stakeholders with data-driven insights and strategic advice on the FemHealth market. She is also host of the FemTech Focus Podcast - the number 1 femtech podcast globally.
