The $360 Billion Market that Medicine Got Wrong for 20 Years

AI Summary

The $360 billion women's health market, especially menopause care, has been largely overlooked by pharma and investors until recent shifts in FDA policies and increased startup and celebrity attention. This segment's growth highlights challenges in distinguishing evidence-based care from wellness hype.

The $360 billion dollar women’s health market is made of several categories that are often overlooked – one of which is menopause. The condition has gone largely unnoticed by pharma and biotech firms, employers, and investors, despite affecting half the world’s population and contributing to major losses in productivity. That is starting to change as celebrities like Naomi Watts, startups such as Stripes and Midi Health, and investors including Amboy Street Ventures turn women’s midlife health into a fast-growing market. The shift has accelerated alongside the FDA’s rollback of long-standing warnings on hormone replacement therapy. But as the category grows, so does the challenge for women trying to distinguish evidence-based care from unproven wellness products and marketing hype. (Source: Bloomberg)