Health social network Curatio merges with Australia’s RxMx to form patient experience giant

Mobile health company Curatio and Sydney-based RxMx have merged to form RxPx, a new patient management software firm for life sciences companies. The deal was financed by private equity firm Pemba Capital Partners, which is based in Australia.

Catch up quick: Curatio is an app that was created in 2013 by B.C. entrepreneur Lynda Brown-Ganzert to support and connect individuals living with illnesses. As she struggled through a complicated pregnancy, she wanted to talk to others experiencing the same thing, and found there was no safe and secure platform for her to do this. Once she learned other people were going through similar issues, she started working on Curatio. Today, the company enables health organizations to deliver private and personalized social support, education, daily coaching, and tracking tools.

RxMx, in turn, is an online platform that physicians use to automate processes that increase speed and access to therapy.

1+1=3: As a combined company, RxPx will be used in over 100 countries and available in 15 languages. The name RxPx combines Rx for prescription medication and Px for patient experience.

Why it matters: The merger comes at a time when health systems are strained, the pharmaceutical industry is undergoing change, and COVID has driven patients to increasingly rely on digital options for their care. “The need for a social health prescription is increasingly urgent and the level of physician burnout is a serious concern for the entire ecosystem,” said Lynda Brown-Ganzert, who will now serve as RxPx CEO.

“We really are on a mission to transform lives,” she added. “No patient should be alone and without support when dealing with a health challenge, and no doctor should be without the tools to easily and safely onboard their patient onto a new therapy or program. We’re simply two passionate teams of doctors, patients and digital experts that want to empower our customers and partners to deliver better healthcare for everyone.”

Staying power: Both platforms have been a success with patients, according to data released by the firms. Case studies for both companies have shown user adherence rates reaching 90 percent.

The merger comes a year after Curatio signed partnerships to launch Canada-wide COVID-19 home monitoring programs through the Digital Technology Supercluster, as well as the deployment of its virtual patient support app in India.

Since its founding, Curatio and Ganzert-Brown have picked up a slew of accolades. Last year, the company was recognized by Forbes as one of 52 women-led startups driving the future of health tech and femtech; in addition, Curatio has previously won $250,000 in investment from Connecticut Innovations at Yale University.

The company is part of Vancouver’s growing ecosystem of digital health companies, which includes Clarius, Ayogo, and PAI Heath, among many others.