A recent Forbes article by Jennifer Kite-Powell shines a light on the urgent need for non-hormonal endometriosis treatments, connecting it to the growing momentum in the women's health sector.

Endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease, affects over 190 million women globally – more than one in ten women of reproductive age. This debilitating condition often emerges in young adulthood, significantly impacting education, career, and fertility, with long-lasting consequences. Current standard treatments often fail to provide adequate relief and can come with intolerable side effects. The diagnostic journey is also fraught with challenges, with women typically seeing seven different doctors over seven years before receiving a definitive diagnosis.

Kite-Powell's article highlights Gesynta Pharma AB and their innovative approach to developing novel anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving pharmaceuticals. Following a successful $27 million Series B funding round, Gesynta is advancing its non-hormonal drug candidate, vipoglanstat, for endometriosis treatment. Vipoglanstat targets mPGES-1, an enzyme overexpressed in endometriotic lesions that drives both pain and lesion progression. Preclinical data have demonstrated significant reductions in both endometriotic lesions and pain, and the drug candidate has shown a promising safety profile in previous clinical studies.

The Forbes article underscores the historical underinvestment in women's health, despite its broad scope. Women's health encompasses both sex-specific conditions like endometriosis, and general health conditions that affect women differently or disproportionately. While conditions like cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, migraines, and osteoporosis fall into the latter category, maternal health, menopause, gynecological health (including endometriosis, pelvic floor, sexual health, and menstruation), and women's cancers (breast, ovarian, and cervical) are examples of female-specific conditions. Historically, medicine has been developed with a male-centric approach, influencing medical training, diagnoses, and therapeutic development, ultimately impacting our understanding of human physiology.

The tide is beginning to turn, however. With growing awareness and recognition of women's healthcare as a prime investment opportunity, venture capital investment in the sector is projected to increase in 2025. This renewed focus offers hope for the millions of women worldwide seeking better solutions for conditions like endometriosis.

Read the full Forbes article here.