Sonara Health, maker of a digital methadone management system, raised $3 million in a seed funding round led by First Trust Capital Partners and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas.
WHAT HE DOES
Founded in 2020, the Mark supported by Cuba startup has built a digital system to allow patients with opioid use disorder to take methadone at home while being monitored by a clinician.
However requirements have been relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic, methadone has generally been distributed in federally regulated clinics, which often required patients to travel daily to receive their dose.
Sonara’s system includes a tamper-evident label for the medication as well as a web-based application that allows patients to check in while taking their methadone. An app for clinicians allows them to remotely and asynchronously monitor patients’ drug usage.
The company plans to use the seed capital to continue to develop its platform and partner with more opioid treatment programs.
“We get messages from patients all the time letting us know that we’ve made it easier for them to stay on track with their recovery, these notes keep us going,” Sonara Health CEO Dr. Michael Giles said in a statement. communicated.
MARKET OVERVIEW
Opioids continue to be a serious public health problem in the United States According to the CDC, overdose deaths involving opioids rose from around 70,000 in 2020 to more than 80,000 last year. The total number of drug overdose deaths increased by almost 15% in 2021.
However, there is some evidence that virtual care could help patients with opioid use disorder access care. A recent study Posted in JAMA Psychiatry found that the provision of telehealth services related to opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a lower likelihood of medically treated overdoses and better retention with medications like methadone and buprenorphine.
Bicycle Health, which raised $50 million in Series B funding This year; Boulder Care, which recently raised $36 million; and Ophelia, who picked up $50 million in Series B funding Last year.
Health at work announced an increase of $118 million almost a year ago, and Quit Genius recently added two substance use disorder programs Evernorth Digital Health Form.