Delhi-based Entrepreneur & Founder of Akron Healthcare Comes up with Disinfectant Tablets to Fight COVID-19, Sells 14 Mn in 4 Mths

At a time when people across the globe are worried & fighting the battle against COVID-19 Corona Virus, a Delhi-based young entrepreneur, Arrjun Sehgal, Founder of Akron Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. has come up with Disinfectant Tablets by the Brand Name: Akrosept that is helping people to Disinfect Surface, Objects, Air Tight Packets, Incoming Couriers, Fruits & Vegetables etc. at Homes, Workplace, Clinics, Hospitals, Restaurants, Hotels & Religious Establishments. Solution prepared from Akrosept Tablets is effective against Bacteria, Microbes, Fungi, Germs & Viruses including COVID-19 Coronavirus. Since April till July 2020, the firm has sold over 14 million Akrosept Disinfection Tablets.

Akrosept Tablets carry a 12 year legacy of being a preferred disinfectant amongst Leading Govt. & Private Hospitals, Nursing Homes & Clinics.

[caption id="attachment_151404" align="alignleft" width="248"] Arrjun Sehgal, Founder of Akron Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.[/caption]

"While companies were focussing on selling Sanitizers, Masks, PPE and other products, there was no stable disinfectant in the market for protection from COVID-19. We identified this gap and launched Multipurpose Akrosept Tablets on E-Commerce and OTC/Chemist channels to make it accessible to general public for Household & Workplace Disinfection. The formula and active ingredient of Akrosept Powerful Disinfectant Tablets - NaDCC Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate has been recommended by WHO World Health Organisation for Disinfection of High Touch Areas, Surface & Objects to protect against Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) as part of their Recommended Disease Commodity Package - Novel Coronavirus (nCoV)," said Arrjun Sehgal.

Sharing more information about Disinfectant Tablets, Mr. Sehgal, said "Akrosept is so far the most stable & superior disinfectant available as compared to Alcohol Based Disinfectants & Sodium Hypochlorite (80-120 times more effective and stable). It releases stable Hypochlorous Acid in Water & poses no threat of sparking or catching fire like in case of alcohol based disinfectants. Just drop the effervescent Akrosept Tablet in recommended volume of water to prepare powerful disinfecting solution that can be used to spray, wipe, mop, rinse, mist, fog & fumigate all surface, area, floors, objects & air tight packets. It is also used for Disinfection of Fruits & Vegetables which is a major cause of concern these days."

Akrosept is competitively priced, more economical & gives value for money in comparison to other disinfectants and sanitizers available in the market.

[caption id="attachment_151405" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Àquapura & Akrosept Product Range[/caption]

About Akron Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.

Akron Healthcare was founded by Arrjun Sehgal in 2007 and is primarily engaged into manufacturing of Pharmaceutical Formulations, Healthcare & Disinfection Products. The company supplies its products to 90% Hospitals across India through its network of 250+ dealers. Its other esteemed customers include various NGO's, UN Agencies, WHO, Indian Air Force, Coal India Limited, ONGC, Indian Navy, Ministry of Health of various State Governments.

The company has 2 Consumer Centric OTC & FMCG Brands Namely Aquapura and Akrosept.

Aquapura Brand includes a range of Water Purification Tablets of different sizes and strengths according to the user's application namely Aquapura Hygiene, Aquapura Tanksafe, Aquapura Travelsafe.

Akrosept Brand includes range of Disinfectant Products namely Akrosept Surface and Objects Disinfectant Tablets, Akrosept Foodsafe - Fruits & Vegetables Disinfectant Tablets, Akrosept Babysafe - Baby Bottles & Toys Sterilising Tablets, Akrosept Hand Sanitizers, Akrosept Disinfectant Spray, Toilsafe Toilet Seat Sanitizer Spray.

The firm is selling & shipping Aquapura & Akrosept range online throughout India through various e-commerce portals including Amazon & Flipkart and on their own e-commerce website www.aquapurashop.com

Presently, Aquapura & Akrosept are available at 14,000 retail outlets across Delhi NCR, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The healthcare firm is on the path to expand to 20,000 more outlets across other states by 2021.

Aquapura

When asked about Aquapura Water Purification Tablets, the entrepreneur said, "Aquapura was launched with the mission to provide safe, disinfected & germ-free water to all sections of the society across India at an economical cost. We have sold over 15 million Tablets of Aquapura and treated about 200 million litres of household & workplace water in FY 19-20."

How to Use Aquapura Water Purification Tablets

Just drop one tablet in the recommended volume of water mentioned on the package, wait for 30 minutes before using it. No hassle of boiling water or using electrical gadgets, expensive water purifiers, RO's, replacing filters/cartridges/candles.

With so many options available in the market along with home remedy of boiling water, why Aquapura Tablets

Water treated with Aquapura stays purified & disinfected for 48 hours as it provides ongoing protection to water from recontamination which is not provided by boiling, filteration, water purifiers, RO systems, gadgets & equipments. Also, boiling & other gadgets do not kill all germs, bacteria & viruses in water that Aquapura Tablets will do. Hence Aquapura Tablets can be used along with other water purifying methods and can also substitute them. Effective cost of Water Purification with Aquapura Tablets comes as low is 0.03 paise per litre.

"Aquapura & Akrosept Tablets are manufactured using NaDCC Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate which is NSF Certified and approved by WHO World Health Organization, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Govt. Of India), CDC (Centre for Disease Control Prevention), EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), UN (United Nations), BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards), HACCP, UNICEF, Department of Health-UK," Mr. Arrjun Sehgal added.

About the Founder

Arrjun Sehgal is a visionary entrepreneur who is successfully running Akron Healthcare since 2007. His educational qualifications are; B.Com Hons. from Delhi University, B.S.C. Finance from University of Bradford-UK and MBA Marketing from Symbiosis University Pune. After taking experience in Pharmaceuticals and OTC Marketing from 2004 till 2007 and with no external funding, he set up his own Pharmaceutical Formulations manufacturing unit in Haryana in 2007. Innovative strategies and products made this young entrepreneur generate funds from within the business and never seek external funding. The company boasts of a Fully Automated & State of Art manufacturing facility spread in 24000 Sq. ft & has its Corporate Office in Delhi.

PathLab Startup Neuberg Offers Blood Donor Eligibility Self-Assessment on its Website

Neuberg Diagnostics Private Limited, a StartUp in the PathLab chain segment today announced the launch of an online assessment test to measure the eligibility to be a blood donor on its website in support of the World Blood Door Day, wherein one needs to answer a few questions to know whether he/she is eligible to donate blood to someone in need. This self- assessment scan has been developed as per the guidelines laid down by the standardized blood banks.  

Speaking on the occasion, Ms.Aishwarya Vasudevan, Group COO, Neuberg Diagnostics Private Limited said, “Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still needs for blood donations and might include your loved ones as well. Basically, four types of transfusable products can be derived from blood : red blood cells, platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate and two or three of these can be produced from a unit of donated whole blood which can help save up to three lives. This assessment test will get give a clearer idea on eligibility to donate blood, even if they are not in doubt". 

The self-assessment test may be taken at https://neubergdiagnostics.com/blood-donation/index.html. All one needs to do is feed in her / his age and gender; and answer few questions pertaining to age, health condition, recent international travel, recent domestic travel, contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case, symptoms experience, medical history and medications taken.

Basis the self-assessment, one may decide if she / he needs to get in touch with a doctor.

Neuberg offers a free walk-in Hb test for all the customers who do the assessment.  

About Neuberg Diagnostics 

The best-in-class laboratories from across India, UAE & South Africa have united under the banner of Neuberg Diagnostics to bring the latest technology and techniques within the reach of developing countries. Utilizing their combined strengths, the Neuberg alliance brings capabilities to perform over 6000 varieties of Pathological investigations and will promote Prevention & Early Diagnosis, Focused Wellness Programs and Structured Disease Management programs for rare diseases using the most advanced technologies assisted by Data science and AI tools. Today, Neuberg Diagnostics is among the top diagnostics companies of Indian origin and the fastest growing healthcare start-up in India. The founding members of the Neuberg consortium - Anand Diagnostic Laboratory (Bangalore), Supratech Micropath (Ahmedabad), Ehrlich Laboratory (Chennai), Global Labs (South Africa), and Minerva Diagnostics (Dubai) bring their combined heritage of over 200 years and process over 20 million tests annually. Some of the best Pathologists, Biochemists, Geneticists, Microbiologists and several other Clinical Lab Professionals from around the world are working closely, sharing knowledge and using the latest generation of diagnostics techniques to take accurate and timely diagnosis to the next level.

Wellthy Therapeutics raises $4 Mn from Saama Capital

Chronic disease management firm Wellthy Therapeutics on Monday said it has raised USD 4 million (around Rs 30 crore) from Saama Capital as part of its pre series A funding round.

With the investment, the venture capital firm has acquired around 16 per cent stake in the company, Wellthy Therapeutics said in a statement.

Apart from utilising this raise to deepen its product-suite and expand geographically, the company will accelerate the launch of its respiratory digital therapeutic portfolio, especially relevant in the current situation, it added.

"The funding will allow us to invest further into improving patient outcomes and generate further real world evidence, while expanding our therapeutic portfolio, geographic and stakeholder reach," Wellthy Therapeutics CEO and Co-founder Abhishek Shah said.

As part of the deal, Saama Capital Managing Partner Suresh Shanmugham will be joining Wellthy Therapeutics' Board, the statement said.

"Wellthy Therapeutics has a unique opportunity to redefine chronic disease management, and we are excited to back their vision," Shanmugham said. PTI AKT

For Uninterrupted Supply of Quality Medical Devices, Indian MedTech Association Demands Cuts in Taxes & Duties

Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI), which represents leading research-based medical technology companies with large footprint in manufacturing, R&D and training in India, today said Union Budget 2019-20 should reduce taxes and duties to enable continuous supply of quality medical devices in the country.

The current regulatory regime mandates absolute price ceiling for medical devices like orthopaedic implants and stents, and allows a limited 10% annual price increase for other notified products. This is irrespective of cost challenges and exchange rate increases faced by companies. Approximately, 70% of medical devices are imported into India to meet the rising demand for quality healthcare.

“India is witnessing a spurt in demand for quality healthcare, and our member companies are committed to providing the latest technology in the Indian market. Since the government is trying to reduce the cost of healthcare, it must do so without compromising the ability of the industry to bring innovation to the Indian patients, this also requires streamlining of the tax structure and rationalization of duty regime with immediate effect,” MTaI Director, Mr. Sanjay Bhutani said.

The following issues need immediate measures in the budget this year:

1. High Custom Duties: High custom duties have adversely impacted the costs of products in India which contradicts the government’s efforts to provide low-cost healthcare available to masses through the Ayushman Bharat program (PMJAY). We seek reduction of custom duties to 2.5% including all surcharges.Additionally, since the custom duty regime on most medical devices in neighbouring countries of Nepal, Myanmar, Sri-Lanka, and Bhutan is lower than in India, the duty differential could lead to smuggling of low-bulk-high-value devices. The result will not only be loss of revenue for the government but also the patient will be beset with products which are not backed by adequate legal and service guarantees.
   

   Comparison of customs duty in India with neighbouring countries

   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Item	HSN Code	India*	Sri Lanka	Bhutan	Nepal	Myanmar
   Orthopedic appliances and artificial implants	9021	8.25%	Nil	Nil	Nil	1.5%
   Surgical Instruments and Appliances	9018	8.25%	Nil	Nil	5%	1.5%

   
   *Includes Social Welfare Surcharge @10% of import duty
   
   Another point to note is that China, which has near self-sufficiency in segments like consumables, has reduced custom duties from 4% to 3.3% recently to avoid the problem of smuggling and to inject competition in the sector.


2. Customs Duty & GST on Spare Parts: Custom duty on spare parts of the medical equipment are currently charged at a higher rate than the equipment itself. For example Heart Lung Machine attracts basic custom duty of 7.5% & GST of 12% whereas its spare parts like Roller Pump attracts basic customs duty of 10% and GST of 18%. Similarly, GST on Contact Lenses is 12%, whereas the Contact Lens Solution which is the essential part of using Contact Lenses attract 18% GST. We recommend that the same customs duty and GST should be charged on spare parts and medical equipment.


3. Tax Holiday for R&D: Tax holiday should be provided to medical device R&D centres under the Transfer Pricing Act to boost investment in setting up in-house R&D capabilities. We also seek tax incentives for the industry for developing global patents from India and tax deduction on income made by individuals or a company for rewards earned on patent development or patent licensing.


4. Minimum Alternate Tax: We urge the government to reduce Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT) rate to 15% from the present effective rate of 21.34% (including surcharge and education Cess). The high rate of MAT has cast substantial burden on companies which are already affected by various external factors. Conceptually, MAT is a minimum and an alternate tax and hence it should not be at a rate which is more than 50% of the basic corporate tax rate. 


5. GST on Trials and Samples: GST should not be charged on trials and samples as doctors need samples/free trials/demos in order to satisfy themselves on efficacy of product in best interest of patients. Cost of trials are already built into cost structures and is a business expense. 


6. GST on Expiries: Medical device suppliers take back product expiries as per best business practice, and in order to ensure product availability at all times. However, the input GST needs to be reversed on such expiries which causes undue loss to the Industry, raising their cost of operations. We recommend that for market expiry replacements, the GST credit be available to suppliers as normal supplies. Cost of expiries are already built into cost structures and hence is a business expense and not allowing input credit contradicts basic edifice of GST.


7. Time-limit of 6 months on Sale on Approval (SOA) transaction in GST: Hospitals require device suppliers to keep critical devices in all sizes, shapes, sizes as the actual need is known only at the last minute at the time of surgery. Hence complying with the 6 months norm for charge of GST is causing a lot of distress for device suppliers and hospitals. A 24 months period will allow device suppliers to keep entire variants without issue of GST exposure on unconsumed items, while also not impacting critical patient care. 


8. GST on Healthcare Services: Healthcare services are currently exempt from GST. As a result, hospitals are not able to claim GST input. This results in higher cost of treatment for the patient.  Once zero rated, Hospitals will be able to avail GST credit on inputs, leading to lower healthcare services cost.


9. Expenditure on CSR: Expenditure on CSR is being disallowed in tax computation. CSR Expenditure has been mandated under law and therefore should be claimable as tax deductible expenditure.


10. Tax Incentives on Exports:Currently, there are no tax benefits on export income. Export being a growth engine for the economy it is important that efforts should be made to make it competitive in the international market. India’s export performance in last 2-3 years has been on a decline which impacts the balance of trade. Introduction of export incentives related to direct tax exemption for the export profits would attract more investments to sectors like medical devices.

About Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI)

Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI – pronounced as Em-tai) is a not-for-profit organization duly registered under sub-section (2) of section 7 of the Companies Act, 2013 and Rule 8 of the Companies (Incorporation) Rules, 2014.

MTaI is an association of research-based medical technology companies who have made remarkable investments in Manufacturing, R&D and Health Care Workers Training in India. MTaI represents a wide spectrum of the medical device industry with global experience in innovation and manufacturing. All the time stressing on the three hallmarks of healthcare - Quality, Consistency and Patient Safety, MTaI wants to be a responsible voice of the industry. The association is committed to improving access to affordable and quality healthcare for patients.

MTaI looks to partner with the Government of India in setting a roadmap for the growth of medical devices sector by bringing in even bigger investments in this sector, through 'Make in India’ and through technology upgradation and dissemination in the provider space.

Tele-Medicine Mobile App SeekMed to Directly Connect Patients to Eminent Doctors on Mobile

A unique tele-medicine mobile application, called ‘SeekMed’ has been launched recently to connect the patients from anywhere in the country with the top doctors of India, mostly based in Tier I cities and working with India’s Top Hospitals.

This app for the first time has brought leading doctors who has been awarded for their contribution to the field of healthcare, majority of doctors on the platform are recipient of Padma Awards and awards like B C Roy. Top Doctors from India’s leading hospitals like AIIMS, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, PSRI and others can be contacted directly through video consultation feature of the App at a reasonable consultation fees. This application is available and can be downloaded for free from Google Play Store.

Mr. Alok Awasthi, Founder of SeekMed said, “The idea is to bridge the huge gap between the quality of the healthcare available in big cities and those in smaller towns and remote areas by increasing access and affordability, With a few simple clicks, patients can find leading doctors & send appointment requests. Patients can upload any number of files that can be accessed from anywhere.”

Apart from offering quality medical help, experts believe that the opportunity to take a second opinion from top medical professionals can play an instrumental role in ensuring a correct diagnosis, right treatment and optimum clinical outcomes.

Dr. T S Kler, ( Padma Bhushan Awardee) and also Chairman, PSRI Heart Institute New Delhi said “We need a platform that patients can trust to seek expert, credible & ethical medical opinion. That is unique aspect of Seekmed which is building a solid network of quality doctors who are considered one of the best in their respective specialty.”

SeekMed will allow patients from anywhere in the world to seek expert advice from India's award-winning & top doctors via video consultation. The key features of the app include:

<ul>
<li>Top experts from leading hospitals from across the country</li>

    <li>GPS based doctor search</li>

    <li>Appointment management</li>

    <li>Online payment (incl. wallets, UPI)</li>

    <li>Video consultation</li>

    <li>Doctor report and e-prescriptions.</li>

    <li>User-friendly (with just a few buttons on the screen). Option for Hindi interface for broader reach
User data protection</li>

In situations, which in fact are very common in India, when patient needs a second opinion about a possible surgery from the best doctor but is not in a position to travel; when patient is not happy with his/her medical condition and has tried all local doctors for treatment; when patient has gone back to his/her home town after surgical procedure and needs to see doctor every few months for follow up or when patient is not able to afford travel cost to contact India's best doctors, such video consultation platforms can turn out to be a game changer.

“Whether living in small towns or abroad, now the patients will have a choice to get a second opinion from qualified doctors and make informed decisions. We are hopeful that this initiative will help in bringing radical changes across all the vertex of healthcare delivery, not just in the country but for the patient community living abroad,” added Mr. Awasthi.

With a large number of the patients in the country travelling every day to metropolitans, just to get a second opinion from top experts or for the follow-ups after a treatment, while spending a lot of money, time and human force, it will be interesting to see how innovative video consultation platforms like SeekMed, are going to play their role in patient care.

[Published unedited via Business Wire India feed]

Drugs Controller General of India To Launch Dedicated Cell For Startups in Pharma Sector

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) plans to set up a dedicated cell for supporting and regulating innovation and startups in the pharma sector. The announcement was made by Dr. Eswara Reddy, Newly Appointed Head of the DCGI.

The upcoming cell, preliminary named as Innovation Support and Regulatory Cell, will have a dedicated and trained staff to address the problems of innovators and start-ups. The proposed cell will be set up at the office of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organsiation at New Delhi within next two to three weeks.

Emphasising on a need to bridge the gap between regulators and innovators such pharma-based startups & entrepreneurs working on new-age drugs, Dr. Reddy said, "Many start-ups are also coming up in pharma and allied segments and are clueless about regulation, which is affecting their performance. Unless innovators and regulators work in close coordination, industry cannot come up with innovative products, which are the need of the hour."

A dedicated startup cell is required is required because often, innovators who are mostly scientists and researchers do not have knowledge of regulations and, as a result, face a lot of problems, he added.

Through the upcoming cell, big pharma players or even startups working on innovative products or solutions can indirectly approach DCGI at any stage for any purpose.

The above news was first reported in The New Indian Express.

The newly appointed DCGI head Dr. Reddy also said that the major priority of DCGI is how it can do ease of doing business in its system and thereby how can it promote Make in India and drug discovery in India.

DCGI is under the gamut of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, which is a regulatory body for India pharmaceuticals and medical devices. DCGI is primarily responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India.

Earlier in 2016, when DCGI was headed by Dr. G.N. Singh, a temporary ban was placed on selling medicines online by DGCI due to business affected to brick and mortar pharmacist by e-pharma companies such as Healthkart, Practo and NetMeds, among others.

This time however DCGI is more focussing towards innovation in pharmaceutical and drug making, and help startups specifically to cut off hindrances it get while making such efforts.

It is to be noted that in last couple of years significant number of startups have had showcased their innovation in pharmaceutical and new-age drug production. For an instance, Bengaluru based Pandorum, which recently raised ₹ 23 crore, is currently working on bioengineering human cornea that can potentially be implanted. Its 3D-printed human tissues can be used for drug development and medical research.

Another, drug based startup from Bengaluru Axio Biosolutions has patented and CE-approved product that has prevented countless deaths due to haemorrhage and grievous injuries. The startup has recently raised $7.4 million from Ratan Tata's RNT Capital.

Drugs Controller General of India To Launch Dedicated Cell For Startups in Pharma Sector

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) plans to set up a dedicated cell for supporting and regulating innovation and startups in the pharma sector. The announcement was made by Dr. Eswara Reddy, Newly Appointed Head of the DCGI.

The upcoming cell, preliminary named as Innovation Support and Regulatory Cell, will have a dedicated and trained staff to address the problems of innovators and start-ups. The proposed cell will be set up at the office of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organsiation at New Delhi within next two to three weeks.

Emphasising on a need to bridge the gap between regulators and innovators such pharma-based startups & entrepreneurs working on new-age drugs, Dr. Reddy said, "Many start-ups are also coming up in pharma and allied segments and are clueless about regulation, which is affecting their performance. Unless innovators and regulators work in close coordination, industry cannot come up with innovative products, which are the need of the hour."

A dedicated startup cell is required is required because often, innovators who are mostly scientists and researchers do not have knowledge of regulations and, as a result, face a lot of problems, he added.

Through the upcoming cell, big pharma players or even startups working on innovative products or solutions can indirectly approach DCGI at any stage for any purpose.

The above news was first reported in The New Indian Express.

The newly appointed DCGI head Dr. Reddy also said that the major priority of DCGI is how it can do ease of doing business in its system and thereby how can it promote Make in India and drug discovery in India.

DCGI is under the gamut of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, which is a regulatory body for India pharmaceuticals and medical devices. DCGI is primarily responsible for approval of licenses of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India.

Earlier in 2016, when DCGI was headed by Dr. G.N. Singh, a temporary ban was placed on selling medicines online by DGCI due to business affected to brick and mortar pharmacist by e-pharma companies such as Healthkart, Practo and NetMeds, among others.

This time however DCGI is more focussing towards innovation in pharmaceutical and drug making, and help startups specifically to cut off hindrances it get while making such efforts.

It is to be noted that in last couple of years significant number of startups have had showcased their innovation in pharmaceutical and new-age drug production. For an instance, Bengaluru based Pandorum, which recently raised ₹ 23 crore, is currently working on bioengineering human cornea that can potentially be implanted. Its 3D-printed human tissues can be used for drug development and medical research.

Another, drug based startup from Bengaluru Axio Biosolutions has patented and CE-approved product that has prevented countless deaths due to haemorrhage and grievous injuries. The startup has recently raised $7.4 million from Ratan Tata's RNT Capital.

A Bengaluru Startup Saving Thousands of Newborns in India To Receive Millions in Funding From The US

Bangalore-based Bempu Health Private Limited has made its home country proud by being the only Indian company to have been selected among 12 global innovators who will be receiving millions in funding from United States and its partners for their brilliant concept of saving the lives of the newborn babies in developing countries.

The 12 innovators have managed to win their spot by outdoing 650 other applicants from all across the globe. The selected 12 will be awarded with a whopping USD 3.4 million in funding from Saving Lives at Birth, which is focused at preventing newborn, maternal deaths and stillbirths in the remotest of the areas around the world.

Bempu received the honour of being among the 12 innovators for developing a boot-shaped foot monitor called APNEBOOT that alerts parents/ doctors while stimulating the baby to prevent potential health consequences during an apnea event.

Apneas and temporary cessation of breathing are often occurring symptoms in premature newborns. Under conditions, where the babies are not under 24x7 vigilance, these apneas can be detected very late or go completely unnoticed, which can cause the babies irreversible injuries.

Prior to APNEBOOT, the Bangalore-based medical device social enterprise Bempu Health Private Limited has received applause all over the world for setting on a mission to make hypothermic newborn deaths a thing of the past by inventing Bempu, a continuous temperature monitoring bracelet combined with an inbuilt thermometer.

Around 92% of newborns in India become hypothermic and many of these unfortunate newborns end up bidding the world an early goodbye. The sad reality is, that this can be totally prevented with early intervention and regular temperature monitoring techniques.

What is Hypothermia?

An amalgamation of the word hypo meaning "below", and the word thermia (thermē in Greek) meaning "heat," hypothermia occurs when the body's core temperature falls below 36.5ºC (97.7ºF).

Bempu was developed with a sole aim of ensuring that a premature and low birthweight newborn maintains a healthy temperature. The bracelet device is capable of working non-stop for four whole weeks and can be replaced if baby's health still requires it.



Bempu has a built-in algorithm that lets the parents know if the newborn baby is hypothermic or is at the stage of slipping into a state of hypothermia. The device is quite simple to use and comprehend. All one has to do is place Bempu on the baby's wrist and then wait for a duration of five minutes. If a blue light starts blinking from the bracelet at an interval of 30 seconds, that means the baby is warm. If an orange light blinks and an alarm sound is set off, that means the baby is cold and is entering hypothermia's first stage. This gives the parents enough time to jump into action and inform the doctors while in the meanwhile, keeping the newborn warm by swaddling him/her with warm clothes or holding them close to their skin.



Ratul Narain, a graduate in Biomechanical Engineering and post-graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, founded Bempu in 2013. After working for over eight years with some 80 paediatricians and neonatologists all across India, Ratul could identify several problems with the system. But, the one which caught his eye and touched his heart was how several newborn babies were dying a premature death because of the unavailability of something as basic as temperature monitoring in the hospitals and homes. His intention to do something about the issue grew even more when a neonatologist narrated an incident to him about how once a newborn baby was brought to her in early morning for an emergency but it had already died sometime ago. The most likely cause of the baby's death could have been that the baby suffered from hypothermia at night at home and due to unavailability of immediate attention and medication, it couldn't make it.

The journey of Bempu-the device began with full force in November 2014, when its founder Ratul landed a grant from the prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to build a hypothermia alert device. The device was meticulously prototyped and clinically tested within a year of its funding and was launched at Rs. 2,000 in October last year. It was made commercially available to doctors, who prescribe it to their patients, in January this year.

Besides Bempu Health Private Limited, other awardees whose names were announced at the sixth annual DevelopmentXChange in Washington included Australia's Monash University for making rapid adoption of inhaled oxytocin possible by providing an evidence base, Yale University for validating a cost efficient breathing aid, PremieBreathe, for infants suffering from respiratory distress.

Launched five years ago in 2011, the Saving Lives at Birth partnership includes US Agency for International Development, the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.K's Department for International Development, Grand Challenges Canada, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency. It is a worldwide shout-out for scalable, out-of-the box solutions to put a full stop to infant and maternal mortality around birth time.

[Top-most Image Credit - Villgro]

A Bengaluru Startup Saving Thousands of Newborns in India To Receive Millions in Funding From The US

Bangalore-based Bempu Health Private Limited has made its home country proud by being the only Indian company to have been selected among 12 global innovators who will be receiving millions in funding from United States and its partners for their brilliant concept of saving the lives of the newborn babies in developing countries.

The 12 innovators have managed to win their spot by outdoing 650 other applicants from all across the globe. The selected 12 will be awarded with a whopping USD 3.4 million in funding from Saving Lives at Birth, which is focused at preventing newborn, maternal deaths and stillbirths in the remotest of the areas around the world.

Bempu received the honour of being among the 12 innovators for developing a boot-shaped foot monitor called APNEBOOT that alerts parents/ doctors while stimulating the baby to prevent potential health consequences during an apnea event.

Apneas and temporary cessation of breathing are often occurring symptoms in premature newborns. Under conditions, where the babies are not under 24x7 vigilance, these apneas can be detected very late or go completely unnoticed, which can cause the babies irreversible injuries.

Prior to APNEBOOT, the Bangalore-based medical device social enterprise Bempu Health Private Limited has received applause all over the world for setting on a mission to make hypothermic newborn deaths a thing of the past by inventing Bempu, a continuous temperature monitoring bracelet combined with an inbuilt thermometer.

Around 92% of newborns in India become hypothermic and many of these unfortunate newborns end up bidding the world an early goodbye. The sad reality is, that this can be totally prevented with early intervention and regular temperature monitoring techniques.

What is Hypothermia?

An amalgamation of the word hypo meaning "below", and the word thermia (thermē in Greek) meaning "heat," hypothermia occurs when the body's core temperature falls below 36.5ºC (97.7ºF).

Bempu was developed with a sole aim of ensuring that a premature and low birthweight newborn maintains a healthy temperature. The bracelet device is capable of working non-stop for four whole weeks and can be replaced if baby's health still requires it.



Bempu has a built-in algorithm that lets the parents know if the newborn baby is hypothermic or is at the stage of slipping into a state of hypothermia. The device is quite simple to use and comprehend. All one has to do is place Bempu on the baby's wrist and then wait for a duration of five minutes. If a blue light starts blinking from the bracelet at an interval of 30 seconds, that means the baby is warm. If an orange light blinks and an alarm sound is set off, that means the baby is cold and is entering hypothermia's first stage. This gives the parents enough time to jump into action and inform the doctors while in the meanwhile, keeping the newborn warm by swaddling him/her with warm clothes or holding them close to their skin.



Ratul Narain, a graduate in Biomechanical Engineering and post-graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford, founded Bempu in 2013. After working for over eight years with some 80 paediatricians and neonatologists all across India, Ratul could identify several problems with the system. But, the one which caught his eye and touched his heart was how several newborn babies were dying a premature death because of the unavailability of something as basic as temperature monitoring in the hospitals and homes. His intention to do something about the issue grew even more when a neonatologist narrated an incident to him about how once a newborn baby was brought to her in early morning for an emergency but it had already died sometime ago. The most likely cause of the baby's death could have been that the baby suffered from hypothermia at night at home and due to unavailability of immediate attention and medication, it couldn't make it.

The journey of Bempu-the device began with full force in November 2014, when its founder Ratul landed a grant from the prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to build a hypothermia alert device. The device was meticulously prototyped and clinically tested within a year of its funding and was launched at Rs. 2,000 in October last year. It was made commercially available to doctors, who prescribe it to their patients, in January this year.

Besides Bempu Health Private Limited, other awardees whose names were announced at the sixth annual DevelopmentXChange in Washington included Australia's Monash University for making rapid adoption of inhaled oxytocin possible by providing an evidence base, Yale University for validating a cost efficient breathing aid, PremieBreathe, for infants suffering from respiratory distress.

Launched five years ago in 2011, the Saving Lives at Birth partnership includes US Agency for International Development, the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.K's Department for International Development, Grand Challenges Canada, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency. It is a worldwide shout-out for scalable, out-of-the box solutions to put a full stop to infant and maternal mortality around birth time.

[Top-most Image Credit - Villgro]

Indian Medical Device Startup-Built Device Can Perform 8 Health Tests On Single Platform

Scientists and engineers from all over the world have been working to make the health and medical sector better day by day. Using the latest technology in this industry is very useful and helps to provide better health care to people. With discoveries being turned into inventions, this sector has come a long way and has a bright future. One such invention is the machine that can perform 8 tests using just one drop of the patient's blood or urine.

This multi-analyte device is built by PathShodh Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., a medical device research and development startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

[caption id="attachment_104939" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The multi-analyte point-of-care device that can perform 8 health tests[/caption]

The 8 tests that the machine can perform are:

1. Glucose: Checking blood glucose level



2. Hb1Ac: Check sugar level in haemoglobin



3. Hb: Haemoglobin test



4. Serum albumin: Check for albumin content to know how liver is functioning



5. Glycated albumin: To find glucose in albumin to know about kidney



6. Microalbuminuria: To check increase in albumin in urine, indicating bad condition of kidney



7. Urine creatinine: To check kidney functioning



8. ACR: Checks for both albumin and creatinine

It is not just more accurate and efficient, but also saves a lot of time and manpower in an industry who is already short staffed.

This multi-analyte medical device can be used to check the proper functioning of a patient's liver and kidneys. Moreover, it is useful for diabetics as well, as it can even detect basic blood sugar level and also helps keep diabetes in control. The tests done by this machine are done in labs using machines costing more than around 1crore itself. This is a very cost effective and convenient option in comparison. As far as its reliability and accuracy go, this machine has been meeting the standards and codes of the US Food and Drug Administration. So the reliability of the device is not in question. When the tests are done, the device gives the results and provides the patients with an acceptable range and also tells the patients how much they are affected.

Pathshodh, the startup behind the innovative device, is a brain child of Vinay Kumar, Navakanta Bhat and Gautam Sharma. Before starting Pathshodh, Vinay was a chip designer with two master's degrees and two gold medals, while Bhat is a professor at the Nanoscience Centre at IISc and an electrical engineer with a PhD from Stanford University.

Gautam, on other hand, has been associated with the semiconductor industry for over a decade working with many well known names in the industry – Sasken communications, Texas Instruments, Synopsys, Freescale Semiconductors, ST Ericson.

The creation of this innovative point-of-care device was born out of the pain of one of the co-founder of the startup - Vinay Kumar, who had been living with insulin-dependent diabetes for 13 years. After his near-death experience, he understood the complications of diabetes. He learned that the disease progresses quickly, and it is necessary to stop damage to vital organs early.

After exploring diabetes research in Indian institutions, he wrote to Navakanta and then moved to IISc as a project assistant, started a PhD on the topic of sensors, and finished his degree in just two years. Now, Bhat and Vinay — along with Gautan — running Pathshodh to make diabetes monitoring point-of-care devices which aims to expand for more biomarkers. Navakanta wants to aim at the US market as well as the Indian market, for its point-of-care devices.

This device has been shortlisted by the National Health Systems Resources Centre (NHSRC) as a very important and useful device. Once the formalities are done, the device will be certified by the organization and can be used by doctors and patients alike. This device is hoped to help a lot of people across the world.

Indian Medical Device Startup-Built Device Can Perform 8 Health Tests On Single Platform

Scientists and engineers from all over the world have been working to make the health and medical sector better day by day. Using the latest technology in this industry is very useful and helps to provide better health care to people. With discoveries being turned into inventions, this sector has come a long way and has a bright future. One such invention is the machine that can perform 8 tests using just one drop of the patient's blood or urine.

This multi-analyte device is built by PathShodh Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., a medical device research and development startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

[caption id="attachment_104939" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The multi-analyte point-of-care device that can perform 8 health tests[/caption]

The 8 tests that the machine can perform are:

1. Glucose: Checking blood glucose level



2. Hb1Ac: Check sugar level in haemoglobin



3. Hb: Haemoglobin test



4. Serum albumin: Check for albumin content to know how liver is functioning



5. Glycated albumin: To find glucose in albumin to know about kidney



6. Microalbuminuria: To check increase in albumin in urine, indicating bad condition of kidney



7. Urine creatinine: To check kidney functioning



8. ACR: Checks for both albumin and creatinine

It is not just more accurate and efficient, but also saves a lot of time and manpower in an industry who is already short staffed.

This multi-analyte medical device can be used to check the proper functioning of a patient's liver and kidneys. Moreover, it is useful for diabetics as well, as it can even detect basic blood sugar level and also helps keep diabetes in control. The tests done by this machine are done in labs using machines costing more than around 1crore itself. This is a very cost effective and convenient option in comparison. As far as its reliability and accuracy go, this machine has been meeting the standards and codes of the US Food and Drug Administration. So the reliability of the device is not in question. When the tests are done, the device gives the results and provides the patients with an acceptable range and also tells the patients how much they are affected.

Pathshodh, the startup behind the innovative device, is a brain child of Vinay Kumar, Navakanta Bhat and Gautam Sharma. Before starting Pathshodh, Vinay was a chip designer with two master's degrees and two gold medals, while Bhat is a professor at the Nanoscience Centre at IISc and an electrical engineer with a PhD from Stanford University.

Gautam, on other hand, has been associated with the semiconductor industry for over a decade working with many well known names in the industry – Sasken communications, Texas Instruments, Synopsys, Freescale Semiconductors, ST Ericson.

The creation of this innovative point-of-care device was born out of the pain of one of the co-founder of the startup - Vinay Kumar, who had been living with insulin-dependent diabetes for 13 years. After his near-death experience, he understood the complications of diabetes. He learned that the disease progresses quickly, and it is necessary to stop damage to vital organs early.

After exploring diabetes research in Indian institutions, he wrote to Navakanta and then moved to IISc as a project assistant, started a PhD on the topic of sensors, and finished his degree in just two years. Now, Bhat and Vinay — along with Gautan — running Pathshodh to make diabetes monitoring point-of-care devices which aims to expand for more biomarkers. Navakanta wants to aim at the US market as well as the Indian market, for its point-of-care devices.

This device has been shortlisted by the National Health Systems Resources Centre (NHSRC) as a very important and useful device. Once the formalities are done, the device will be certified by the organization and can be used by doctors and patients alike. This device is hoped to help a lot of people across the world.

IIT Delhi Alumnus Launches Startup That Aims To Solve Chronic Disease Management Problem In India

Already having a successful business in healthcare in their kitty, two IIT Delhi graduates, Kaustubh Chandrabhan and Anshuman Chaudhary has launched their second venture - DailyDoc

The founders came up with the idea for DailyDoc when they realised the game changing role technology could play in the management of chronic and long term diseases in India. It is essentially a platform that makes on-going care convenient, effective and collaborative for patients and care providers.

According to recent statistics available, about 60% of all healthcare spending is done on Chronic diseases. Further, Diabetes alone has some 60 million patients in the country with another 30 million heart patients.

In simple words, DailyDoc is a chronic care management platform working towards improvement in the outcomes of chronic care by making the processes more collaborative, data driven and efficient.

[caption id="attachment_102816" align="alignleft" width="233"] Kaustubh Chandrabhan and Anshuman Chaudhary - Co-founders, DailyDoc[/caption]

Gurgaon-based DailyDoc claims to be India's first chronic care management platform, disrupting the more than USD 50 billion chronic healthcare market in India. DailyDoc focuses on improving outcomes in chronic care by making it more efficient, data driven and collaborative. Its product suite includes a patient app on android and a web based physician dashboard that syncs over the cloud with the patient app.

DailyDoc differentiates itself from its competitors by the way they deliver personalized health insights based on the way a user/patient interacts with the app each day and the way their care management modules are organised.

Furthermore, DailyDoc's medication adherence system is very organised and powerful. So much so that it can really benefit a user's health as medication non-adherence and ignorance are considered some of the most important reasons for poor results in chronic care.

The patient app comes with goal tracking combined with graphical insights of personalised health insights and patient data through automated reports and proprietary algorithms that can further be emailed to any care provider. On the top of it, DailyDoc also provides the patients an opportunity to collaborate with their physicians through the feature of secure messaging.

The Gurgaon based startup currently has around 400 users who are using the app to manage their diabetes. The app also has a very high engagement rate with some of them using the app more than 10 times a day.

With the app currently only available in NCR, the startup's immediate plans include expanding DailyDoc's healthcare services to Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai in the first phase.

An Incubator Just For Health Startups in India

The Indian healthcare industry has a huge potential to grow and progress. And, the recent dengue outbreak in Delhi has only proved that the healthcare facility in the country still has a long way to go. This further means that the industry is prime for innovation and investment.

Taking the responsibility to improve the scenario of the Indian healthcare Industry scene is HealthStart, a 2013 founded incubator that claims to be India's first dedicated healthcare incubator.

The idea to setup a Healthcare dedicated incubator came to Pradeep Jaisingh, a healthcare entrepreneur, when he realised that even though there are plenty of accelerators and incubators in India, majority of them are only focused on tech and mobile. Further, having lived abroad, he also realised that pulling off a health startup in India is an extremely difficult task as compared to the west and this is when he decided to take the matters in his own hands and change the scenario.

[caption id="attachment_102625" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Pradeep K. Jaisingh - Founding Chairman of Healthstart[/caption]

The Noida-based startup incubator has managed to bring together a talented bunch of people from different backgrounds as mentors. Some of the names on the mentors list are: Vivek Jetley, CEO of a Singapore-based health company, Raj Airy stems from Baxter India, Suhail Chander of IndusInd Bank, Jayant Goel, an accountant and Anil Gupta of Honeywell International. Vishal Bhansal, a doctor turned entrepreneur, was appointed as the company's CEO a year back in 2014.

According to Jaisingh, the reason behind having such a diverse bench of mentors is that finance, health, and tech are all areas that are extremely critical for health entrepreneurs. Further, according to him, It’s not just about delivering care, but also running an enterprise that is profitable.

The incubator has till now funded two batches of health startups, a total of seven healthcare companies. It has also been consciously focusing on funding businesses that solve health problems for India’s urban middle class. It's investment in startups like Gympik, which helps urbanites find gyms, personal trainers, and local yoga sessions and Tattva Spa, a holistic spa with natural remedies, are examples of its this ideology.

But, Jaisingh yearns to change this ideology and wants the accelerator to find businesses that are focused around treatment, rather than lifestyle.

Jaisingh believes that India's healthcare woes doesn't require reinventing the wheel altogether, but finding new ways to deliver care. The way the care reaches the patients needs to more innovative because the hurdles present in India are more significant when compared to the rest of the world.

Empanelled With Over 5000 Top Doctors, Qikwell Claims To Be Only Guaranteed Dotors Appointment Booking Service In India

We're so busy with the materialistic wonders that the world has to offer to us that we often completely ignore that one thing that is truly ours i.e. our body. Qikwell, a Bangalore-based health tech startup seems to have taken things into its own hand and make India a healthier place with healthy people.

In this fast paced world, who has the time to take references from people, wait at long queues outside a clinic and deal with the to and fro pendulum motion from a hospital to a clinic and a clinic to a hospital in case of last minute cancellations. This is where startup like Practo, Ziffi and Qikwell comes to the rescue. These startup makes use of technology to provide its customers with confirmed appointments with good doctors and other healthcare service providers.

Qikwell however claims to be the only guaranteed and assured appointment booking service for doctors in India which helps consumers to be in touch with the doctors and get answers to simple queries that may not warrant on a visit to a clinic.

Using the Qikwell platform, one can search for doctors with required specializations according to their location preferences and book appointments directly with them. The Bangalore based startup makes sure to provide its customers with a hassle free medical experience by making them available with up-to-date information about doctors, their availability and their schedules.

Qikwell currently empanels over 5000 top doctors across all specializations and who practice in top hospitals and private clinics.

Founded by Raghavendra Prasad, a computer science graduate from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, and Krishna Prasad Chitrapura, an IIT-Bombay graduate and ex-Yahoo scientist, Qikwell claims to have a unique solution which clinics and hospital installs to ensure a pleasant patient experience. This includes information on doctors, live information on doctor's availability, online appointment booking, instant appointment confirmation, delay/or schedule change notifications and fair & transparent queueing system. Qikwell also helps you keep in touch with your doctors - simple queries that may not warrant a visit, can be answered by your doctor.

Started in 2011, with a mission of connecting people who are in need of healthcare with the people who can best provide it, the company is backed by SAIF Partners.

According to the startup, its USP is its technology which lets people to get instantly in touch with the doctors even for getting answers to simple queries that may not require a special visit to a clinic. Qikwell currently provide appointments booking of doctors and other healthcare services in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Delhi, Mangalore and Mysore.

Qikwell is also available as an Android app and interestingly all appointments booked its app are 100% guaranteed or the company claims to give you Rs.1000.

Manipal hospitals, Fortis, BFMC, Saket city, Cloudnine, Narayana Health are the key partners who use Qikwell technology solution.

Connect2MyDoctor Wants To Tame Telemedicine By Making Doctor's Visit An Online Affair

In this fast paced world where everything is moving online, from your accountants to your shopping guides to your nearby grocery store; why should your doctor be left far behind?

Connect2MyDoctor is an online platform removing the boundaries of quality healthcare between the patients and doctors by the medium of online video consultations. Not only this, it even manages patients medical and personal records in a HIPPA secure server and syncs data from multiple sources – all stitched together with an intuitive user experience across tablets, computers and mobile devices.

Most of the currently existing healthcare startups only offer services like doctor listing or
functionality to ask a doctor or solutions with a substandard experience. But, Connect2MyDoctor.com aims to democratise the process of telemedicine by simplifying the so called white elephant 'Telemedicine' and large computers, specialized devices, audio visual rooms etc. to a more simpler, easy to use, secure solution across multiple platforms (commputers, mobiles, tablets) to get quality health care.

Connect2MyDoctor.com allows Doctors to:

• stay connected with their patients no matter where they are


• build a channel for the first touch point with patients who are residing far and making their in clinic visits more effective


• perform second level follow ups etc. online after the initial in person consultation, freeing up time for more deserving patients in the clinics. This would also restrict the need for patients to travel to the doctor to just show a test report etc. A great boon especially for the geriatric care


• monetize the time spent on answering questions which would otherwise be a bothersome telephone call from a random person (increasingly patients are looking to doctors for pre-treatment advice and counsel for which they are happy to pay)


• manage patient records in a central location thereby making is accessible from where they are


• set your consultation fees and time of consultation

Connect2MyDoctor.com allows Patients to:

• stay connected with their doctors no matter where they are


• search, book appointments for a quick online consultations (add a carer to the video consultation if required)


• store medical records in a secure cloud environment, ensuring secure access wherever they are


• get reminders of the appointment via email and SMS


• save time and effort and money

Coonect2mydoctor is not a replacement to visiting a doctor but as a handy option for the patient to reach out to their doctor from view the doctor schedule, book an appointment, share health reports, make payment for consultation, and get access to the doctor via video, audio or chat.

The startup can act as a boon for patients all over the globe having issues getting access to specialists, care for non critical ailments, consultation for loved ones with special needs, aged care, access to their doctors when they are away from home and that too at an affordable cost.

The platform can be accessed by both the patients and doctors for follow up, first time consultations, second opinions and a lot more through video consultations. The service in no way aims to replace the personal in-clinic visit, it is only meant to be a complementary service with the doctor being accessible both online and in-clinic.

The Currently Bootstrapped startup has a team of three enthusiastic co-founders, Pramod Kutty - CEO, Jayaprakash Menon - COO and Nelby Joseph - CTO. The startup's future goals includes expanding into other markets, increasing scope with existing and new Target Audience and adding more product features.

The startup has registered office at Singapore with subsidiary offices in Bangalore, India and Melbourne, Australia.

Healthcare Startup Practo Raises $30 Million From Sequoia Capital & Matrix Partners

Mumbai-based healthcare startup, Practo Technologies, which helps people search for doctors online, has raised $30 million (over Rs 185 crore) in a fresh series B funding from Sequoia capital and Matrix partners. The company will use funding to finance expansion in nearly 30 Indian cities and overseas markets by March 2016.

Matrix India Managing Director Avnish Bajaj will be joining Practo's Board of Directors. Practo had earlier raised $4 million from Sequoia Capital in mid-2012.

Practo Search is the largest doctor search engine in Asia with 4M monthly searches and company's flagship product Practo Ray is the clinic management software of choice used by 30,000 doctors managing tens of millions of patients and their healthcare.

Practo claims that its $30 million series B funding is one of the largest investments into digital health globally and the largest for any Indian healthcare technology company

Related - 30+ Online Health & Wellness Related Portals in India

Practo currently has its presence in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune in India apart from having footprints in Singapore and Philippines. In India, the startup is looking to expand in other cities such as Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Jaipur and Coimbatore.

With this round funding, Practo will expand our reach to serve hundreds of millions of people around the world. In the coming few months the startup will;

1. Expand to 35 cities in India



2. Open multiple more international locations (current location are India, Singapore & the Philippines)


Grow the team of Practeons from 600 Practeons today to more than 1500 by December 2015

Practo Technologies is founded in 2008, in a college hostel dorm room by Shashank ND and Abhinav Lal and in 2009 Practo becomes part of the Start-up Acceleration Program initiated by Morpheus Venture Partners.

StartHealth Is A New Initiative To Help Early Stage Healthcare Startups To Raise Capital

StartHealth - the new technology driven healthcare program is being launched by a team including Manipal Hospitals and Narayana Health and is supported by investor Unitus Seed Fund, PATH, an international non-profit organisation, and one of the world’s premier bio-pharmaceutical company, Pfizer. The team has got together with an investor to offer up to Rs 10 crore in awards and funding to early-stage start-ups that seek to boost access to reasonable technology-driven healthcare products and amenities for low-income grade mass in the country.

Unitus Seed Fund have been in talks with several early staged healthcare start-ups for some time now and StartHealth is now being considered to be the stepping stone required to develop these start-ups by investing in their early stages and helping them to come up with terms of a massive supply-demand gap in healthcare sector in India. The major problem Unitus will emphasise to solve using technology will be to enhance the accessibility and affordability of the healthcare products in India as the demand is enormous.

Interested health care startups in India can Apply here for StartHealth program and may even get funded.

This coming year, five start-ups are expected to get selected for Rs 50 lakhs of non-dilutive capital to fund immediate pre-seed business growth and hands-on support from PATH, Manipal Hospitals and Narayana Health's staff. They will also get access to expert networks of Pfizer and Unitus in India and globally and facilities of Manipal Hospitals and Narayana Health for pilots and market testing.

Providing appropriate platform to healthcare technology entrepreneurs for evaluating the prototype situations with proper and expert clinical solutions is one of the major solutions that this initiative will try to come up with in near future.

Areas of interest for healthcare innovation for StartHealth partners are low-cost diagnostic and monitoring devices connecting doctors and patients, healthcare cloud IT solutions and innovations for use in labs or clinical settings to improve the quality of care at lower levels of healthcare system, such as primary care clinics.

Unitus Seed Fund, along with its investing partners, will also provide capital of Rs 1 crore to help the start-ups for growing their business and raising more capital.

Dipika Matthias, Director of PATH's Global Health Innovation Hub initiative said "Through our partnership with Unitus, we can improve the efficiency of identifying and pursuing due diligence on such groups, as well as the effectiveness of helping them to develop and scale their businesses."

Lybrate Is India's First 'Mobile First' platform That Connect Patients With Doctors

Imagine the pain of patients who have to bear the brunt of heavy traffic for hours just to show the medical report to their favourite doctor. Or a couple just moved in a new city and their kid is sick. They don't know which doctor to go. Or a software engineer who lives in a metro and his parents are alone and sick at home. There are plenty of such situations which call for an all-time access to a trusted doctor or even a multi-specialty clinic. Lybrate.com, an online platform for patients to book appointments with doctors, has addressed these problems with easy techniques.

Founded in 2013 by Saurabh Arora and Rahul Narang, Lybrate is an online and mobile-based platform that connects patients to doctors. Patients can use the service for free to find trusted doctors recommended by other patients near their locations and also book an online appointment with them. Doctors will have their share of advantage as well by using this platform to manage appointments, medical records, payment, billing and expenses for their clinics. Lybrate claims its platform empowers doctors with critical patient information anytime, anywhere, so that they can access patient’s medical history in a short time.

With a user-friendly interface, this app available for Android users can enable a patient a private conversation with any doctor of his choice, just like a Whatsapp chat. They have made sure that doctors too don't have to compromise on their consultation fees. At any point of time, the doctor can decide if he wants the consultation to be paid or not. So now, one can upload their reports, or other medical documents, do voice chats with their doctor and even pay him to have the confidence of right and apt consultation.

"Healthcare is seeing a lot of activity. We see a huge opportunity in improving access to healthcare using technology. Lybrate’s innovative platform and easy to use interface truly brings health at your fingertips", says Saurabh.

One of the foremost features of this app is that top doctors from all over the country can post general suggestions and tips for the patients and health enthusiasts. They can schedule and send Do's and Don'ts to critical patients like pregnant women or patients who just have undergone some surgery. Besides, Lybrate also offers Find Doctors/Book Appointment Service to help people find best doctors around them. So in a nutshell, Lybrate is a complete health platform for people where doctors take care of patients.

Rahul says "Patients will now have the power to have multiple opinions, and that too from different streams, such as Ayurveda, Allopathy, Homeopathy, Unani, etc, right from their home. On doctor's front, they too get a chance to learn from other top doctors in India. All in all it is a win-win situation for all."

The company raised $1.23 million in funding from Nexus Venture Partners. Lybrate is also backed by Gokul Rajaram, a technologist who has played key roles at Facebook and Vispi Daver, prominent project capitalist, who has invested in various other Indian and US based start-ups. The company is available on Android platform and will be available on iOS very soon.

With the motivation towards such a noble cause and in the fast growing online healthcare sector, Lybrate is sure to make some serious inroads. We wish them all the best in their endeavour.

Bangalore's Theramyt Is A BioTech Venture Developing Tech Platforms To Generate New Class Cancer Therapies

Theramyt Novobiologics is a biotech venture started by Sohang Chatterjee and Kavitha Iyer Rodrigues in July 2013. Theramyt is developing technology platforms that can generate a completely new class of therapies for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis as well as diabetes. Theramyt is based on fundamental R&D with a much larger value proposition in the drug development life cycle.

This is Sohang's second biotech venture after Inbiopro Solutions. Inbiopro Solutions was established in 2007 by Sohang with Kavitha and Aditya Julka. Inbiopro was strategically invested in to by Strides Arcolab in 2010 and acquired fully in November 2012. At Inbiopro, they were developed biosimilars which were then licensed out to large Indian Pharma companies for marketing the products.

"When we started Inbiopro in 2007, there was a clear market opportunity for biosimilars as the traditional pharma companies were looking to enter biotechnology market and were looking for a partner who could shorten their entry time to market. We were one of the early players then. Since then, the industry has matured and now there are many more players working on bio-similars. This rush has been precipitated by a large basket of biological blockbusters going off-patent between 2015 and 2020,” adds Sohang.

Now, with Theramyt, they want to be ahead of the pack. "We need to differentiate ourselves and we want to be a game changer not just in the Indian biotech industry but the global scenario. Ours is a capital intensive industry with long incubation period for a product to come to market. With relatively limited funding (compared to a US or UK) we had to innovate our strategy. So, we decided to look at existing innovator's products and explored areas with scope for improving on them. That became the premise for setting up Theramyt," says Kavita. In fact, they are listed as the only Indian company in the Biobetter Innovation field by Global Industry Analysts’ 2014 report 'Biobetter Trends' (Report No. 146053).

[caption id="attachment_98174" align="aligncenter" width="700"] (L-R) Sohang Chatterjee & Kavitha Iyer Rodrigues, Founders, Theramyt[/caption]

Their 27 member strong science team can make them a global power in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. They are a non-traditional organization that thinks fun and serious science can be a healthy mix towards a high performing, purpose driven industry leader. As a startup, they recognized very early the importance of Organizational Development. "Therefore, we have a structured program with various OD activities in addition to the obvious knowledge and skill development programs," adds Kavita. They plan to expand to 50 members soon.

As their first initiative, they are developing our proprietary gene knockout platform for glycosylation modification on monoclonal antibodies. "This would address the Fc portion of the antibody, that responsible for effector function," says Sohang. Their second initiative is developing a proprietary protein library that can be used to screen various disease targets and the selected protein can then be combined with our high-potency Fc portion of the Antibody. To make this commercially viable, they have another program in mind to combine the Knock-out cell line with high expression elements.

"A part of our earning from selling Inbiopro has gone back in to the initial operation of Theramyt," says Sohang. In addition, we have received Rs.27.5 crore VC funding from Accel Partners, IDG Ventures, Aarin Capital and Karnataka state government-backed KITVEN. Most of this capital has gone in to setting our state-of-the-art research labs in Yeshwantpur (Bangalore) and initial proof of concept data of our science. Their immediate plan is to raise a second round of funding in 2 years' time. "That should take us to an inflection point when we decide to either remain a R&D and product development company or become a fully integrated biotech marketing company," says Sohang.

They would be partnering with large global biotech drug development and marketing companies in a couple of years’ time, once they have developed proof of our technology and filed all the necessary patents. "We have already filed 2 provisional patents and our target is to file 5 patents under PCT by 2015," he adds. As a message for future entrepreneurs, they say, "We constantly question ourselves whether we are doing enough. Always think what can be done differently and not just follow benchmark set by others."

Hyderabad-Based Health-Tech Startup eKincare Raised $300K Seed Funding

Aayuv Technologies Pvt. Ltd, the Hyderabad Company responsible for eKincare, an online platform that allows people to store and monitor their critical medical information anytime anywhere, has been successful in securing a seed funding of US $300,000(Rs.2 crore) from Adroitent Pvt Ltd, a big name in Healthcare IT and BitChemy Ventures, a city based incubator cum seed fund. The money secured by the company in the funding round will be used for hiring, marketing and further development of the product.

Digital medical history is not something new to the market but eKincare takes the digitization of health-related records to a whole new level. Apart from maintaining your digital health records, it also builds an analytics platform that helps to spot risks in time. It even comes with a mobile application which makes it easier for the users to digitize the physical copies of their medical reports. The service is currently in beta stage.

eKincare provides a single repository for its users to store all their medical records. It gathers information and medical results, records from various healthcare providers and keeps the user’s profile up to date. It then identifies the potential health risks from the collected medical data and motivates the user in taking necessary steps in overcoming those risks. eKincare is absolutely free to use and has no limits on the data storage. It even allows multiple profile management.

“We are lowering all the barriers/excuses to consolidate one’s medical history by providing the platform for free to host all their medical records. We would decipher the info and convert it into a format (color coded, graphical history and timeline) that is easy to understand,” said Kiran Kalakuntla, founder, Aayuv Technologies.

Kalakuntla incorporated the Hyderabad based Aayuv Technologies in September 2014. He quit his job as a product manager at telecommunications giant AT&T and moved back to India to work on Aayuv.

Both Adroitent Pvt Ltd and BitChemy Ventures seemed ecstatic about their association with eKincare.

According to Sunil Motaparti, founder and Director, BitChemy, “At BitChemy, we are always looking for tech companies that can change how an industry works. As the Indian healthcare story evolves, there are tremendous opportunities for this to happen. We believe eKincare’s approach of combining digitization with deep analytics and home healthcare could offer tremendous value to end consumers and change the rules of the game.”

BitChemy is a seed fund cum incubator founded in 2012. It identifies opportunities by analyzing the technology landscape and partnering with enthusiastic entrepreneurs.

“We see a great value in eKincare’s consolidation of medical history like in the west, and building a layer of analytics on the top of it to drive healthy behavior,” said, Srinath DeviReddy, President, Adroitent Pvt Ltd.