DuoFertility soft-launches in US, major funding could follow
Cambridge Temperature Concepts (CTC) has made a soft launch into the US for its potentially disruptive fertility technology, DuoFertility, as it looks to validate the product before raising the necessary funds for a full-on assault on its largest market target to date.
There are two potential entries to the US market for CTC, direct to the consumer and through clinicians that recommend treatments for patients. Both are being targeted at a relatively low level as CTC seeks to generate enough feedback on the credibility of each approach.
Founders Dr Shamus Husheer and Dr Oriane Chausiaux have been meeting with medical practitioners and patients in New York and San Francisco during National Infertility Awareness Week, along with couples who had used the technology successfully in Europe.
Once either or both approaches have been validated, CTC expects to raise more money to push out DuoFertility. Dr Husheer hasn't said how much this would be, but the cost of making an impact on the US market will be expensive.
DuoFertility uses a small sensor to provide extremely accurate temperature monitoring that builds an unparalleled bespoke picture of when a woman is most fertile. It has already seen a strong response in the UK, having been featured on the BBC programme, Britain's Next Big Thing, where it won a deal with Boots for national roll-out.
In the UK infertility affects one in six people, about 3.5 million with 125,000 couples diagnosed infertile every year. In the US that last number's eight times higher says CTC, with over 2 million couples suffering from infertility.
Only 150,000 of these opt for IVF due to the almost universal lack of insurance coverage for the $15,000 procedure, producing a group of patients dubbed the 'financially infertile'. DuoFertility has been proven to be as effective as IVF in infertile – not sterile – couples.
It follows that the market potential in the US is also higher. DuoFertility sees itself as the "next step" between urine-based ovulation tests purchased at the chemist and full-blown clinical intervention. The US market for the urine-based tests is around $250m, whilst that for IVF is $1.8bn.
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