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  • E-health: Singapore attracts investors and numerous partnerships

    In recent years, Singapore has attracted a lot of investors and companies in the digital health sector has signed numerous partnerships in the private and the public sectors.

    Let’s focus on the most recent agreements established in the field of eHealth in the city-state.

    E-health: why Singapore is attracting?

     In the APAC region, Singapore attracts e-health key-players for its reliability and its strategic location in the ASEAN. The partnership between Philips and the dedicated corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), announced in January, is an example among others.

    In 2016, Dr. Eddy Lee and Kevin Yap, two eHealth experts, explained to H&TI why the « little red dot » is so attractive on this particular market.

    According to them, the city-state is attractive to international contractors for two main reasons:

    • it is an open market on Southeast Asia;
    • it imposes strict rules to gain the confidence of global companies.

    The latest health tech projects supported by the EDB

    Zuellig Pharma investing S$50m in its first health innovation center

    On 5 April 2017, Healthcare services provider Zuellig Pharma inaugurated its first innovation center in the city-state, Zuellig Health Solutions (HSZ). It plans to invest more than S$50 million (US$35,9 M/€36,7 M) over the next five years.

    The establishment was launched with the support of Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB). So far, the company has spent nearly S$15 million (US$10,8 M/€10 M) to set up the facility.

    Holmusk collaborates with Singapore to better manage cardio diseases through big data analytics

    In early April 2017, the Singapore digital health and data analytics company Holmusk announced a collaboration with the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) to improve care in the field of heart failure and coronary artery disease using big data analysis.

    This three-year partnership aims to develop better predictive models that can be validated for use in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases in the city-state.

    Supported by the EDB, Holmusk will work with NHCS until 2019 to analyze aggregated data from the Singapore Cardiac Outcomes Longitudinal Database (SingCLOUD), the longitudinal study on heart health of Singaporeans database.

    Diabetes: Livongo raises US$ 52.5 million (€ 48,8M)

    The California company Livongo, specializing in digital solutions for monitoring diabetes, has raised an additional $52.5 million in a round (€48.8 million) with several investors on March 16, 2017.

    Livongo offers a blood glucose monitor accompanied with a service designed to intervene and help coach people through managing diabete. The firm said that this investment was made to extend its services to other chronic diseases related to diabetes, such as high blood pressure or hypercholesterolemia. The company also aims to enter new international markets.

    The round was led by General Catalyst and the international investor Kinnevik. Investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDBI), American Investment Holdings LLC and Microsoft Ventures also participated.

    This is the third investment round made by Livongo. The firm had already raised US$33 million (€30.6 million) and US$44.5 million (€41.3 million) in 2016 from Kleiner Perkins and the investment fund of pharmaceutical company Merck.

    Philips and EDBI have signed a partnership to develop eHealth in Singapore

    A partnership between EDBI an Philips to support digital health companies

    In January 2016, Royal Philips (or Philips healthcare) and EDBI, the corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) have signed a MoU.

    The purpose of this partnership is to jointly invest in high-potential digital health companies that want to break into the Singapore market and, eventually, in the Asian market.

    In July 2016, the Dutch group said more to H&TI about the purpose of this huge project.

    • The main objective is “to build a robust digital health ecosystem that will serve the needs of a growing and aging population in Singapore and Asia,” a spokesman for Philips in ASEAN Pacific explained.
    • “Another key objective of this partnership is to fuel the growth of innovative digital health companies by enabling access to Philips experts, our ecosystem of healthcare solutions and our extensive global network.”

    EDBI and Philips are co-investing in promising digital health companies

    EDBI, the dedicated corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board, and Royal Philips announced on March 6, 2017 they are starting to co-invest in high-potential digital health companies.

    ConnexionsAsia (CXA), Asia’s employee benefits and wellness marketplace platform, is the first of these innovative eHealth companies to be supported by the partners.

    This project is in line with Singapore’s goal to strengthen its position as one of Asia’s leading digital health hubs.

    Philips launches Health Continuum Space to centralize health tech innovations

    Royal Philips (Philips healthcare) launched on January 19, 2017 the Health Continuum Space a first-of-its-kind innovation center in Singapore created to centralize high tech innovations in the healthcare sector in the city-state and, ultimately, co-create new healthcare facilities in order to better meet the future needs of the industry.

    The idea is to brings together different environments and medical scenarios, from the ambulance to the patient’s home. At the end of the day, the goal is to better meet the patients’ need, taking into account the important role played by the home environment, through the use of innovative solutions produced by Philips in the field of health tech.

    Partnerships between the public and the private sectors are growing

    Care Management: Deloitte and the Institute of Mental Health of SG will deploy a predictive system

    The Deloitte Future Healthcare Centre of Excellence, based in Singapore, has signed a partnership with the Institute of Mental Health of the city-state (IMH) to develop a predictive model in order to improve care management.

    This new system will especially help health professionals to guide the behavioral monitoring of outpatients to limit the common causes of missed appointments through targeted care interventions.

    Metabolic Diseases: J&J launched a competition in Singapore to find advanced solutions

    Johnson & Johnson Innovation recently launched in Singapore a global competition to identify high tech solutions to better treat metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity.

    As part of this project, the US company – supplier of advanced products and services in the health care sector – has joined A*STAR’s ETPL, through its Diagnostics Development Hub, and Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART).

    The Singapore Quickfire Challenge – Metabolic Disease Innovation will run from 22 March to 17 May 2017. It aims to identify advanced solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of metabolic diseases that are reaching epidemic proportions in Asia-Pacific.

    Silver economy: Bayer & University of Singapore unite to promote adherence through eHealth

    Improve treatment adherence in the elderly with chronic diseases, such is the objective of the partnership announced late in December 2016 between Bayer and the entrepreneurial center of the National University of Singapore (NUS).

    They unveiled the first « Grants4Apps Singapore » crowdsourcing project that aims to develop technological solutions for innovative health in Singapore and throughout Asia-Pacific to improve adherence, one of the main challenges related to population ageing in the ASEAN region.

    IPAL-CNRS, a French-Singapore laboratory

    Initially, Image and Pervasive Access Laboratory (IPAL) is a research project initiated in 1998 by two researchers, one from Grenoble and the other one from the NUS. After a few years, the duo turned into a multidisciplinary team and from 2007, the organization became an international joint unit (UMI), an official laboratory of the CNRS.

    Mounir Mokhtari, IPAL director, and Fabien Clavier, project manager, talked to H&TI a few months ago about key solutions developed by the French-Singapore laboratory. They are currently working on two main projects : City4Age and Pulse, two programs focused on prevention through the integration of new technologies.

    « The goal is to develop research projects in Singapore in connection with what our teams perform in France to establish a win-win relationship between the two countries in the scientific field. The idea is to bring together people, practices and methods to facilitate discoveries, » summarized M. Mokhtari.

    SingHealth and Medtronic create a center of excellence for the treatment of diabetes

    SingHealth, one of the largest Singapore healthcare group, signed on 31 May 2016 a MoU with Medtronic, an Irish medical device company. The goal of this alliance is to develop a Center of Excellence on diabetes to advance treatment and care management in Southeast Asia, where the disease is progressing quite rapidly.

    « We believe this will set a strong precedent for industry to participate actively in co-creating new healthcare solutions which will benefit healthcare in Singapore and the region, » said Thien Kwee Eng, assistant managing director, EDB.

    Investments: Europe and the United States bet on the city-state

    Southeast Asia: Unitus Impact leads $6.3M round in promising eHealth startup mClinica

    In February 2017, Silicon Valley-based Unitus Impact has finished a US$6.3 million (€5.98M) Series A round financing in mClinica, a eHealth start-up based in Singapore.

    MClinica is growing in the health tech marketplace. The firm plans to use its new funds to expand its operations in Southeast Asia and even worldwide.

    Mobile app purpose: collecting relevant health data in Southeast Asia by connecting pharmacies on a single platform to help industry professionals and public sector players to better know the market.

    Galen Growth, a catalyst for the growth of Asia’s healthtech ecosystem

     In an interview published at the end of 2016, the international investor Julien de Salaberry, founder and CEO of The Propell Group, told H&TI more about this knowledge of the eHealth market. He talked about three important points:

    • 1. The development of Galen Growth Asia, a small company he recently cofounded in order to advance the discussions on health-tech sector across Asia;
    • 2. the characteristics of the investment in Asia;
    • 3. the complexity of establishing a sustainable business model.

    A one-stop shop for startups specializing in medical technology

    A one-stop shop for medical technology start-ups will be established soon in Singapore. No specific launch date has been provided so far.

    The aim of this creation is to fast-track the commercialization of innovative ideas, ranging from breakthrough diagnostic and surgical technology to cutting-edge connected devices. Unveiled at the end of June 2016, the project is a collaboration between Singapore incubation firm Clearbridge Accelerator and English product design and development company Cambridge Consultants.

  • Southeast Asia: Unitus Impact leads $6.3M round in promising eHealth startup mClinica

    In February 2017, Silicon Valley-based Unitus Impact has finished a $6.3 million (€5.98M) Series A round financing in mClinica, a eHealth start-up based in Singapore.

    MClinica is growing in the health tech marketplace. The firm plans to use its new funds to expand its operations in Southeast Asia and even worldwide.

    Mobile app purpose: collecting relevant health data in Southeast Asia by connecting pharmacies on a single platform to help industry professionals and public sector players to better know the market.

    One of the largest series A financing for an eHealth Southeast Asian company

    The oversubscribed round lead by Unitus Impact is one of the largest Series A financing for a digital health firm in Southeast Asia.

    Other investors who joined the financing round include:

    • Global Innovation Fund (London);
    • MDI Ventures (Indonesia);
    • Endeavour Catalyst (US);

    Existing investors, 500 Startups (United States), IMJ Investment Partners (Singapore) and Kickstart Ventures (Philippines), also participated.

    MClinica: collecting pharmacy data on a single platform to better monitor market developments

    Founded in 2012 in Singapore, mClinica now connects thousands of pharmacies on common platforms through a mobile application.

    The three main « missions » of mClinica:

    • connecting pharmacies on a common platform;
    • providing quick and easy access to new data sources;
    • developing programs from the collection of this data to improve patient affordability and health outcomes.

    The first task of the application is to track what medicines are being prescribed, dispensed and bought in small pharmacies, whose activities are often unknown by other market players because there are usually isolated and unconnected.

    An application reserved for industry professionals and public players

    • The mClinica’s app is for pharmacy stores.

      The device provides them:

      • a loyalty program for their customers, enabling them to offer discounts (a big help in developing countries, where the poor have usually limited access to medicines), and so encourage them to share their data and to be enrolled into a program that helps them better understand their health conditions and reminds them to refill when they are running low on supply;
      • news from the industry;
      • other tools to better manage their business.
    • There is no consumer application.

    Customers simply provide their mobile phone number to the pharmacist to register and again at the counter for future purchases in order to claim loyalty points and discounts. Information about their purchases is collected by the pharmacy and send to the mClinica’s platform to get reimbursement by the drug companies.

    All data are « desensitized » to protect consumer privacy, the Singapore firm said.

    Once analyzed, the collected data is used to produce reports that can be sold to pharmaceutical companies, to devise programs to improve patients’ health while boosting their sales, but also to public sector players who want to follow the sector development in Southeast Asia.

    Making millions of health data accessible for a more transparent market

    « Trillions of dollars are spent by the public and private healthcare sectors and often there is no data to guide the right programming and policy decisions, said Farouk Meralli, founder and CEO of the Singapore startup. At mClinica, we are connecting once-fragmented pharmacies on a common platform providing a unified set of global health data that has never been available before. Our goal is to rapidly transform the availability and quality of global health data in a matter of months not decades. »

    Mr Meralli explains that the ASEAN region currently has no access to most of the health data available in the area because the market is dominated by small ‘mom and pop’ style stores (97% of all pharmacies in Indonesia, according to M . Meralli – source: TechCrunch):

    • Pharmaceutical companies want to know more about their business, supply chains, etc., in order to make more appropriate business decisions.
    • Governments and NGOs would like to access more relevant data in real time to be able to shape policy.
    • For consumers, this lack visibility affects the price of medicine, which are high and growing at a faster rate relative to their income. By sharing their data, the market would become more transparent and thus, pharmacies would be encouraged to offer more competitive prices.

    MClinica plans to expand rapidly in Southeast Asia and perhaps internationally

    The specific number of users of mClinica service has not been revealed by the company. Farouk Meralli simply said that his form has a potential reach of 70 million patients through the more than 5,000 pharmacies it works with.

    The startup plans to use its new funds to increase its reach by using offline communication methods (advertising on the street sales for example) associated with digital means, especially on social networks, to reach more pharmacies.

    Imminent launch in Malaysia and Thailand

    In addition to its headquarters in Singapore, the mClinica service is currently present in three major Southeast Asia markets: the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. The company would like to expand to cover Malaysia and Thailand before the end of 2017. Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are also on the list of countries where the startup intends to set up.

    Initially, mClinica was designed for massive markets, such as India and Brazil, but the Philippines was actually selected for a first pilot following a request from a prospective customer. Since then, the company has focused on Southeast Asia but it also considering an expansion of its activities in other parts of the world in the future.

    A « systems changing » company

    Since raising its seed round in 2014, the mobile application has continued to increase its network of pharmacies. The company has won international pitching competitions and has acquired in 2015 an equity stake in Medix, a Philippines healthcare and SaaS company.

    Unitus Impact managing partner Partner Beau Seil describe mClinica as a « system changing » company able to change the healthcareindustry in developing countries.

  • Singapore: EDBI and Philips are co-investing in promising digital health companies

    EDBI, the dedicated corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board, and Royal Philips announced on March 6, 2017 they are starting to co-invest in high-potential digital health companies.

    CXA, Asia’s employee benefits and wellness marketplace platform, is the first of these innovative eHealth companies to be supported by the partners.

    This project is in line with Singapore’s goal to strengthen its position as one of Asia’s leading digital health hubs.

    Helping CXA to monitor patients’ health in order to better prevent chronic diseases

    Founded in 2013, CXA has now grown into a $100-million company (€ 93,962).

    The startup, based in Singapore, develops digital health solutions which enable employers to better control healthcare costs. The group provides them with targeted personalized wellness intervention programs for employees.

    Results: employees’ health and therefore their productivity are improved, claims and insurance premiums are reduced, employers can make more efficient use of employee benefits dollars.

    With the support of both partners CXA will be able:

    • to access to health technological solutions developed by Philips and Dutch group’s business partners across the healthcare continuum, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment and home care.
    • to leverage Philips’ digital health platform to analyze data and integrate Philip’s health monitoring devices and services to track employees’ vital signs and provide them with targeted guidance by the use of clinical algorithms, to help them prevent and manage chronic diseases.

    « [CXA embodies] the leading innovation and ambition that we want to champion through this partnership with EDBI. We are now looking to accelerate and get more high-potential companies on board, to deliver better health outcomes in Singapore [and] support the Committee for Future Economy’s priorities for economic growth [but also] continuing on our Philips journey to achieve our ambition to improve the lives of three billion people a year by 2025, » said Caroline Clarke, chief executive officer, Philips ASEAN-Pacific.

    Philips and EDBI: an alliance to help the industry meet the pressing healthcare needs

    EDBI and Philips unveiled in 2016 the details of their joint investment partnership to stimulate the creation and commercialization of connected health solutions in the fast-growing Asian healthcare market.

    The purpose of the alliance is to help promising digital health companies to boost their technological capabilities to innovate, evolve and expand regionally and globally to help them meet the pressing healthcare needs for an aging Asian population.

  • Maladies métaboliques : J&J fait émerger des solutions de pointe à Singapour

    Johnson & Johnson Innovation vient de lancer à Singapour un concours mondial visant à identifier des solutions high tech pour mieux soigner les maladies métaboliques, telles que le diabète et l’obésité.

    Pour ce projet, la société américaine – fournisseur de produits et de services dans le secteur des soins de santé – s’est associée à l’ETPL d’A*STAR (voir encadré) par le biais de son Centre de développement des diagnostics et de l’Alliance Singapour-MIT pour la recherche et la technologie (SMART).

    Singapore QuickFire Challenge : 100 000 SGD (66 636 €) et un an de mentorat pour les vainqueurs

    Le Singapore QuickFire Challenge – Metabolic Disease Innovation a débuté le 22 mars et s’achèvera le 17 mai 2017. Il vise à repérer des solutions de pointe pour le diagnostic et le traitement des maladies métaboliques, qui atteignent des proportions épidémiques en Asie-Pacifique.

    Trois gagnants seront désignés à la fin de la compétition :

    • ils recevront 100 000 dollars singapouriens (66 636 € ; 71 650 USD) chacun pour poursuivre leurs recherches et développer leurs technologies à Singapour ;
    • auront accès au laboratoire de l’ETPL (A*STAR) ;
    • bénéficieront d’un an de mentorat et d’encadrement par Johnson & Johnson Innovation, l’ETPL et l’équipe de la SMART.

    Tous les finalistes recevront huit semaines de mentorat.

    Pour être admissible, au moins l’un des membres de l’équipe centrale doit résider à Singapour pendant au moins la moitié de la période durant laquelle la subvention est attribuée.

    Les cas de diabète et d’obésité sont en hausse en Asie-Pacifique

    • Le diabète affecte actuellement plus de 250 millions de personnes dans la région APAC et devrait avoir un impact sur la vie de plus de 500 millions de personnes en Chine et en Inde d’ici 2030, indique Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
    • Les cas d’obésité sont eux aussi en augmentation en Asie-Pacifique, en particulier en Chine où la maladie touchait en 2013 27,9 % de la population adulte et 18,8 % des jeunes de moins de 19 ans, contre 11,3 % et 5,7 % respectivement en 1980.

    Le but du challenge QuickFire est de dynamiser les écosystèmes du secteur de la santé à Singapour mais aussi dans les autres villes et régions du monde en ébullition en encourageant les innovateurs à créer et à déployer au plus vite des solutions high tech visant à améliorer la santé et le bien-être des citoyens.

    L’événement est soutenu par SPRING Singapore, une agence du ministère du Commerce et de l’Industrie de Singapour chargée d’aider les entreprises de la cité-État à se développer et de renforcer la confiance des consommateurs dans les produits et les services développés au sein du pays.

  • Metabolic Diseases: a competition launched in Singapore to find advanced solutions

    Johnson & Johnson Innovation recently launched in Singapore a global competition to identify high tech solutions to better treat metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity.

    As part of this project, the US company – supplier of advanced products and services in the health care sector – has joined A*STAR’s ETPL, through its Diagnostics Development Hub, and Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART).

    Singapore Quickfire Challenge: SGD100,000 (USD71,650) and one year of mentorship to the winners

    The Singapore Quickfire Challenge – Metabolic Disease Innovation will run from 22 March to 17 May 2017. It aims to identify advanced solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of metabolic diseases that are reaching epidemic proportions in Asia-Pacific.

    Three winners will be selected at the end of the competition:

    • they will receive SGD100,000 (USD71,650; €66,636) each to continue their research and develop their technologies in Singapore;
    • they will have access to the laboratory of ETPL (A*STAR);
    • they will receive one year of mentorship and coaching by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, ETPL and SMART team.

    All finalists will receive eight weeks of mentorship.

    To qualify to join the competition, at least one member of the core team must reside in Singapore for at least 50% of the term of the grant.

    Cases of diabetes and obesity are on the rise in Asia-Pacific

    • Diabetes currently affects over 250 million people in the APAC region and is expected to have an impact on the lives of over 500 million people in China and India by 2030, said Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
    • Cases of obesity are also increasing in Asia-Pacific, especially in China where the disease affected in 2013 27.9% of the adult population and 18.8% of youths aged 19 and below, against 11.3 % and 5.7% respectively in 1980.

    The goal of the Quickfire challenge is to boost the healthcare ecosystem in Singapore but also in other innovation hotspots around the world by encouraging innovators to create and deploy high-tech solutions faster to improve the health and the well-being of citizens.

    The event is supported by SPRING Singapore, an agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the city-state responsible for helping Singapore enterprises grow and strengthen trust in the developed in products and services within the country.

  • China investors begin to doubt the profitability of health mobile apps

    Valued at 3 billion (€ 2.8 billion) in a funding round in 2016, Chinese eHealth mobile application Good Doctor (Ping An) has led since its launch a wave of investment flooding the China’s mobile medical industry.

    But investors are beginning to lose confidence in the ability of these companies to turn a profit, analyzes the Financial Times in a story published on March 2017.

    However, investors start losing confidence in these companies and their ability to make profits, analyzes the Financial Times in an article published in March 2017.

    China: more than 2000 eHealth apps

    In China, more than 2,000 mobile applications offer users health services, such as medical advice, appointment bookings, etc. and niche services are tapping into demand, offering patients secure health services and providing easy access to healthcare in a country where the industry is marked by widespread distrust of hospitals and clinics, often overcrowded.

    Good Doctor, founded by China insurance group Ping An, says they have 27 million monthly active users – some analysts estimate that are approximately 20 million users – who receive 400,000 diagnoses in one day . « Digital healthcare services are releasing some of the pressure on China’s creaking healthcare system, » said the founder of the application, Oliver Wang (Financial Times).

    Straddling the areas of healthcare and technology, two of the China’s most prominent investment sectors, hundreds of medical applications attracted in 2016 private equity and venture capital funding.

    Among the most famous mobiles applis in the country, there are WeChat (Tencent), WeDoctor and Spring Rain Doctor, claiming more than 800 million users. Valued at more than $1 billion (€ 926 M), they are among the most promising Chinese start-ups.

    EHealth: Chinese regulations restricts opportunities for entrepreneurs

    The Chinese consumer demand for digital health services is motivated by a lack of trust in the lower levels of the national public health system and limited access to doctors, especially in remote areas.

    However, regulations prevent firms to charge for booking hospital appointments and limit services offered via applications, that offer users health advice rather than full consultations.

    To make profit, WeDoctor (Tencent) is based on advertising and recommendation of doctors to patients, a service that can be charged because it allows users to avoid long queues through appointments line. The company claims to have registered more than 100 million appointment bookings over the past two years and RMB1.2 billion ($175 M; €162 M) in revenue in 2016.

    Investments in the China’s digital health sector dropped by 10% between 2015 and 2016

    Despite the good market development, investment in eHealth sector dropped by 10% in China year on year in the last quarter of 2016 to $520 million, after a 41% decline in the previous three months, according to consultancy VC Beat (Financial Times).

    « If you look at the user numbers it looks great, but if you ask who’s paying it doesn’t look so great, » said Florian Then, a Shanghai-based partner at McKinsey’s healthcare practice.

    « We’ve invested in several of these companies but are still generally very sceptical of how most of the sector will generate revenues. Sustainability will be a big question mark, « analyzed managing partner at Qiming Venture Partners, which has backed WeDoctor.

    In 2016, investors were shocked to discover online a list of 27 medical applications that had closed after burning through their funding. Another unpleasant announcement for the market followed: the internet giant Baidu recently said it would close was shutting down its mobile health unit and its famous app Baidu Doctor.

    To make more money, digital health startups circumvent regulations

    • In an attempt to generate income, eHealth mobile applications try to find tie-ups with physical hospitals. WeDoctor is aiming to set up 100 hospitals within three years, in cooperation with existing facilities.
    • After it realize that advertising was not enough to cover its expenses, Spring Rain Doctor plans to offer its users private health insurance.
    • The start-up of the sector have also begun to focus on consumer services, offering over-the-counter medicines or paid-for services, such as botox injections.

    But there is a regulatory risk. If local interests are jeopardized, officials could act to restrict the use of these medical applications.

    The health sector is quite sensitive, said the Financial Times. In 2016, Baidu recorded its worst quarterly earnings performance since 2007 after an investigation revealed it was broadcasting on its search engine advertisements promoting unlicensed private hospitals, offering unnecessary or poor quality treatments.

    « There is not a regulator system telling you what you can and can’t do in mobile health and that makes the market a big mystery, » said M. Wang (Ping An Good Doctor). You couldn’t know when the government [is going to say] ‘no’. »

    EHealth apps: investments continue despite some doubts

    Despite growing doubts and lack of clear rules on the market, Chinese investors appear to retain some interest in the mobile healthcare sector.

    Among the most recent example: Chinese society Hakim Unique Internet Co. has led in March 2017 a funding round of $40 million (€36.8 million) in March 2017 for Haoeyou, a start-up which offers Chinese patients access to an online platform where they can connect with doctors based in the United States.

  • Chine : une société investit 40 M $ dans une appli aidant les Chinois à se soigner aux États-Unis

    Permettre à la population chinoise d’avoir accès à des médecins basés aux États-Unis, telle est la promesse faite par la société chinoise Hakim Unique Internet Co. qui a mené un tour de financement de 40 millions de dollars (36,8 M €) en mars 2017 pour la plateforme Haoeyou.

    Les investisseurs chinois ont déployé des milliards de dollars sur le marché de la santé numérique en 2016 mais ce dynamisme pourrait s’essouffler dans les années à venir car ils commencent à douter de la rentabilité de ces applications mobiles centrées sur la santé.

    Haoeyou : une plateforme pour mettre en relation patients chinois et médecins américains

    Fondé en 2013, Haoeyou (« bons amis médecins » en mandarin) propose aux patients chinois d’accéder à une plateforme en ligne via laquelle ils peuvent prendre rendez-vous avec des médecins américains et recevoir une consultation à distance via une webcam.

    Le service aide également les utilisateurs à se rendre aux États-Unis pour recevoir un traitement médical de pointe.

    Plus de 1 000 fournisseurs de soins sont enregistrés sur la plateforme, affirme Haoeyou, dont la valeur est aujourd’hui estimée à environ 200 millions de dollars US (184 M €).

    1,1 milliard $ investi en Chine sur le marché des soins de santé numériques (1er semestre 2016)

    Environ 1,1 milliard de dollars US (1,01 Md €) a été investi par des entreprises chinoises dans le secteur des soins de santé numériques – notamment dans le domaine de la télémédecine – au cours du premier semestre de l’année 2016, indique CB Insights, une société de recherche spécialisée américaine.

    • En février 2017, Matrix Partners Chine, Qiming Venture Partners et IDG Capital ont par exemple investi 200 millions de RMB (28 M $/ 25,7 M €) dans Anxin Doctor, une application chinoise dédiée à la santé maternelle et pédiatrique.
    • En 2016, We Doctor Group Ltd a reçu 20 millions de dollars US (18,4 M €) de la part de Shandong Tyan Home Co. et la start-up de pharmacie en ligne basée à Guangzhou, 7LeKang, a conclu un tour de financement de 100 millions de dollars US (92 M €) pour développer des services de santé mobiles, en augmentant le réseau de ses médecins et en subventionnant les patients.

    L’attrait des investisseurs chinois pour le secteur de l’e-santé pourrait s’estomper.

    Cet engouement pour la santé numérique sur le marché chinois est cependant à nuancer.

    Dans un article paru le 8 mars 2017, le Financial Times révèle que les investisseurs du pays commencent à douter de la rentabilité des applications mobiles centrées sur la santé, s’interrogeant sur leur capacité à réaliser des profits sur le long terme.

  • China: a company invests $40 million in an app helping Chinese patients get treatment in the US

    In March 2017, Chinese society Hakim Unique Internet Co. as led a a US$40 million (€36.8 M) series A round in Haoeyou, a digital platform for Chinese patients to have direct connection with doctors based in the United States.

    Chinese investors have spent billions of dollars in the digital health market in 2016 but this trend could change in the coming years as they begin to question the cost-effectiveness of these health mobile applications.

    Haoeyou: a platform to bring together Chinese patients and doctors in the US

    Founded in 2013, Haoeyou (« good doctors friends » in Chinese) offers Chinese patients access to an online platform where they can make an appointment with American doctors and receive a remote consultation via webcam.

    The service also helps users to travel to the United States to receive advanced medical treatment.

    More than 1,000 care providers are registered on the platform, says Haoeyou, whose value is now estimated at approximately US$200 million post-money (€ 184 M).

    $1.1 billion have been invested in China on digital health market (1st half of 2016)

    About 1.1 billion of US dollars (€1.01 billion) has been invested by Chinese companies in the digital healthcare sector – particularly in the field of telemedicine – in the first half of 2016, according to CB Insights, a US specialist research firm.

    • In February 2017, Matrix Partners China, Qiming Venture Partners and IDG Capital invested for example RMB200 million (US$28 million / €25.7 million) in Anxin Doctor, a Chinese mobile application dedicated to maternal and child health.
    • In 2016, We Doctor Group Ltd received US$20 million (€18.4 million) from Shandong Tyan Home Co. and online pharmacy start-up based in Guangzhou, 7LeKang, concluded a US$100 million (€92 million) round to develop mobile healthcare services, increasing its network of doctors and subsidizing patients.

    Chinese investors’ appetite for e-health could decline

    This strong attraction for the digital health sector in the Chinese market could be reduced.

    In a story published on March 8, 2017, the Financial Times reveals that Chinese investors are beginning to doubt the profitability of mobile applications focusing on health, questioning their ability to make profits in the long term.

  • Open Innovation : Groupama et Air Liquide soutiennent l’accélérateur de startups Techstars Paris

    Techstars, un des plus gros accélérateurs de start-up américains, a ouvert ses portes en France le 20 mars 2017 et s’apprête à lancer à Paris son premier programme d’accompagnement de start-up avec le soutien du fonds d’investissement Partech Ventures.

    L’accélérateur a également des partenaires dans l’industrie, notamment Air Liquide et Groupama dans le cadre de leur programme d’Open Innovation.

    L’accélérateur est situé au 8 et 9e neuvième étage avec vue panoramique sur les toits de Paris du building du Partech Shaker, l’incubateur créé par le fonds d’investissement Partech Ventures. Il s’agit de sa 27e implantation dans le monde après Londres et Berlin, ouverts en 2016.

    1000 start-up incubées par Techstars dans le Monde

    Techstars est  un des principaux accélérateurs dans l’univers des start-up outre-Atlantique. Depuis sa création en 2006 à Boulder (Colorado), Techstars a déjà accompagné plus de 1000 start-up internationales. Elles ont levé plus de 3 milliards de dollars à l’issue du programme, avec en moyenne 3,4 millions de dollars par levée de fonds.

    La valeur du portefeuille s’élève à 7,8 milliards de dollars, selon les informations transmises par Techstars. Il a accompagné des sociétés comme Sphero (90 millions de dollars levés) ou Ginger.io (28 millions de dollars levés).

    • Un appel à candidatures pour 10 lauréats potentiels

    Le nouveau programme d’accélérateur de start-up a ouvert le 20 mars 2017. Les entreprises peuvent postuler jusqu’au 18 juin. La première promotion sera accueillie à partir du 11 septembre.

    Les 10 start-up sélectionnées bénéficieront d’un accompagnement de 13 semaines de mentorat et de définition de leur modèle économique et d’ un investissement par Techstars de 120 000 dollars, qui prendra 6% des parts de la start-up.

    Groupama : au coeur de la transformation digitale 

    Groupama est le seul partenaire assureur et financier de l’accélérateur de start-up.

    Ce partenariat vise  trois objectifs :

    • Travailler en amont avec des start-up sur des cas d’usages concrets et sur des problématiques clés  (objets connectés, Intelligence Artificielle…) pour définir une trajectoire d’industrialisation.
    • Continuer de transformer les modes de travail et la culture Groupama en invitant les membres de la direction à collaborer étroitement avec des start-ups sur le programme d’excubation prévu au premier semestre 2018.
    • Soutenir durablement l’écosystème d’innovation français.

     

  • Présidentielle : 72 % des Français estiment que les candidats ne parlent pas assez de santé (sondage)

    A l’occasion de la présentation des projets des candidats à la présidentielle en matière de santé qu’elle a organisée le 21 février 2017, La Mutualité française publie les résultats de l’enquête sur les attentes des Français dans ce domaine :

    • regard sur le système de santé ;
    • souhaits prioritaires pour le faire évoluer ;
    • attentes vis-à-vis de l’élection présidentielle de 2017 à cet égard.

    Cette enquête a été réalisée en ligne par Harris interactive du 30 janvier au 7 février 2017 sur un échantillon de 2 000 personnes représentatif des Français âgés de 18 ans et plus, selon la méthode des quotas et redressement appliqués à plusieurs variables (sexe, âge, catégorie socioprofessionnelle et région de l’interviewé(e).

    Une inquiétude sur l’avenir du système de santé

    • 61% des Français considèrent que leur de système de santé fonctionne bien, mais 68% d’entre eux se montrent pessimistes quant à l’avenir de celui-ci.
    • 46 % estiment que le système s’est dégradé au cours des 5 dernières années (contre 11% estimant qu’il fonctionne mieux).
    • 68% d’entre eux se disent pessimistes pour l’avenir de leur système de santé alors que 32% s’avèrent confiants.

    La santé jugée trop peu présente dans la campagne

    • 3 Français sur 4 se déclarent intéressés par la campagne pour l’élection présidentielle de 2017 mais 72% estiment que les candidats ne parlent pas assez de santé.
    • En effet, seuls 27% des sondés pensent que les propositions des candidats correspondent à leurs préoccupations personnelles.

    Pour eux, les deux enjeux clés de ce campagne sont l’accès aux soins pour tous (32% de premier choix) et le financement de la protection sociale (29% de premier choix), devant la prise en charge des personnes dépendantes et la prévention en matière de santé.

    Le financement de la protection sociale

    • 85 % des Français estiment que le déficit de la Sécurité sociale est élevé, voire très élevé (38%).
    • Pour 73% d’entre eux, ce déficit peut même remettre en cause l’avenir de la Sécurité sociale.
    • 68% pensent qu’en moyenne cette dernière rembourse moins de 60% des dépenses de santé et que les soins seront moins bien remboursés à l’avenir.

    D’après l’enquête Harris interactive, de nombreux Français ont déjà le sentiment que leur « reste à charge » a augmenté depuis 5 ans, quel que soit le type de soins. Pour eux, la réduction du déficit de la Sécurité sociale passe en priorité par une meilleure organisation du système de santé (89% l’estiment prioritaire ou importante), la lutte contre les abus (88%) et le développement de la prévention (83%).

    En revanche, certaines mesures visant à réduire le déficit sont nettement moins populaires : l’augmentation des taxes ou des cotisations sociales des salariés est jugée prioritaire ou importante pour seulement 19% des sondés.

    L’accès aux soins

    • 52% des Français interrogés pensent que l’organisation actuelle du système de santé permet à toutes les personnes d’accéder à des soins de qualité.
    • 78% estiment facile d’obtenir un rendez-vous rapide avec un généraliste, et 22% pour un spécialiste.
    • Par ailleurs 77% d’entre eux se disent favorables à la généralisation du tiers payant.

    Les mesures jugées prioritaires pour améliorer l’accès aux soins sont l’implantation des médecins dans les déserts médicaux pour plus de 90% des sondés, et la limitation des dépassements d’honoraires par les professionnels de santé (87%). En revanche, la possibilité de se faire soigner dans un autre pays et la réduction des tarifs des généralistes ne sont pas considérés comme des leviers majeurs (39% et 40% seulement des Français estiment ces mesures prioritaires ou importantes, respectivement).

    Le maintien de l’autonomie : les Français insatisfaits

    • En moyenne, 63% des Français pensent que la prise en charge des personnes dépendantes et/ou vulnérables n’est aujourd’hui pas satisfaisante.
    • 58% d’entre eux estiment en effet que la prise en charge de la dépendance devrait peser davantage sur la Sécurité sociale que sur les proches.

    Pour les Français, les priorités sur ce sujet sont le développement de lieux adaptés aux personnes handicapées (privilégié à 92 %) et le maintien à domicile le plus longtemps possible (91%).

    Prévention, santé et environnement : une large adhésion des Français

    Les Français se montrent largement favorables à la plupart des actions de prévention, en particulier concernant le dépistage précoce de certaines maladies, jugé prioritaire ou important par 92% des sondés.

    Les complémentaires santé : les Français partagés

    Les Français interrogés se montrent partagés quant à la répartition idéale de la prise en charge des dépenses entre Sécurité sociale et mutuelles et les complémentaires santé :

    • 36% estiment que ces dépenses doivent être plus prises en charge par la Sécurité sociale, et moins par les mutuelles et autres complémentaires santé. 20% estiment l’inverse.
    • 42 % pensent que la répartition actuelle ne doit pas être modifiée.

    La santé du futur : une faible adhésion aux nouvelles technologies

    84% des Français admettent n’avoir jamais eu recours à un objet connecté pour se renseigner sur leur santé.

    Les sondés sont partagés concernant l’utilisation des nouvelles technologies dans les différentes pratiques de consultations et de soins (suivi quotidien à l’aide d’objets connectés, télémédecine, assistance par des robots etc.)

    Quant au partage de leurs données de santé aux mutuelles, les Français sont plus enclins à transmettre des informations médicales que des données relatives à leur vie quotidienne. Par ailleurs, les professionnels de santé, et dans une moindre mesure, les organismes publics, bénéficient de la confiance d’une majorité de Français (respectivement 79% et 55%) concernant le partage de données de santé personnelles via les nouvelles technologies.