Israel Active

The Assuta chain of medical clinics and private hospitals, controlled by Israel’s Maccabi Health Services, has founded a venture capital fund for investing in medical devices in the later stages of development. It has already raised $35 million and plans to reach $150 million by mid-2019.

Israeli biotech Immunovative Therapies purifies and cultures healthy T-cells from an unmatched donor. The cells (called AlloStim) are injected into the cancer patient and after several treatments, boosts the recipient’s immune system to kill the tumors. Phase 2/3 trials in progress.

Young burns victims at the I-PEARLS pediatric center at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center receive treatment from Israeli-developed lasers. They include carbon dioxide (CO2) ablative lasers to safely and effectively reduce the devastating impact of scars in burned children.

Israeli biotech Kitov has proved its NT219 anti-cancer treatment triggers irreversible shutdown of tumor survival pathways in multiple cancers. In a separate announcement, US biotech Coeptis will distribute Consensi - Kitov’s dual osteoarthritis pain and hypertension treatment in the US.

Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists have discovered 27 new molecules that could treat fatty liver disease, obesity, diabetic nephrotoxicity, and to heal wounds. They devised an algorithm to search a database of 1.56 million molecules for those with therapeutic potential.

I reported previously on Israel’s TytoCare and its digital stethoscope that diagnoses a patient and sends the data electronically to a remote physician.  TytoCare has now received European and Canadian approval to match its US approval and plans to expand in Europe and Asia.

When hospital patients cannot communicate with their relatives, it can be very distressing for both. Which is why Israeli NGO Ezer Mizion the “Handbook for the Hospitalized Patient.” It is built as a flowchart - the patient then answers “yes” and “no” questions to communicate successfully.

13 Israeli bio-techs were featured at Biomed World in Jerusalem, organized by non-profit JLM-BioCity and its volunteers promoting Jerusalem’s bio-community.  The 2nd video is of Avi Kleiman, who founded RenalSense after his father’s kidneys failed.

US prescription benefits manager CVS Health Corp. has added Teva’s new Ajovy anti-migraine treatment to its coverage.  Express Scripts (the largest prescription benefits management company in the U.S) has now added Ajovy to its national preferred formulary of 2019.

I reported previously on Israeli startup Air Doctor that locates a trusted physician if you fall sick abroad. It books an appointment and organizes re-imbursement via your holiday insurance company. Air Doctor now functions in some 15 countries and has vetted nearly 20,000 doctors.