Osteoboost Raises $8M to to Boost Women's Bone Health Wearables

• Osteoboost raises $8M to scale bone health wearable
• Strong demand with 2,500+ physician prescriptions
• Trials show reduced bone loss and improved strength

Osteoboost recently completed a Series A-prime fundraising event that raised $8 million to support the growth of production and distribution for the company’s FDA-approved vibration therapy device used predominantly by women who are postmenopausal and have osteopenia.

The company’s CEO, Laura Yecies, states that the current demand for the device has far outstripped supply; however, the absence of reimbursement for the device continues to be an obstacle to market penetration.

In the current context of wearable technology, resistance training, and midlife being viewed as a chance for rebirth, a trend has arisen; recently, it is not peptides or pilates; rather, the newest area of focus is on bone health. This time, the area of focus is driven by a new FDA-approved wearable device known as Osteoboost. Osteoboost Health closed an $8 million capital raise to increase production capacity and also expand clinical research.

Osteoboost’s funding round was led by Ambit Health Ventures, while also participating was Emmeline Ventures and Disrupt Health Impact Fund.

Osteoboost has over 2,500 physicians that have prescribed the device, which is designed to be a solution for an issue that perimenopausal and postmenopausal women experiencing osteopenia are commonly faced with: Osteopenia as defined by low mineral density of the bones resulting in weakening of the bones leading to a higher chance of total fractures — osteopenia is known to be an indicator that there will be future issues with developing osteoporosis.

“For years, when a patient with osteopenia asked what they could do beyond calcium, vitamin D and exercise, we didn’t have much to offer,” said David B. Karpf, an endocrinologist and attending physician in the Osteoporosis & Metabolic Bone Disease Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine. “Many of the women I treat are younger peri- and post-menopausal women who have osteopenia, and want to do everything they can to prevent developing osteoporosis. The availability of the FDA-cleared Osteoboost device provides a clinically supported, non-drug option that allows us to intervene earlier”, he added.

The Osteoboost is a device that uses vibration therapy for the lower back and the hips. A clinical trial at the University of Nebraska Medical Center showed that the device reduced bone density loss by 85 percent in the spine and 55 percent in the hips when used three times a week for 30 minutes for 12 months.

Osteoboost Health also provides a program called Wellen, which is a video training program created by physical therapists for individuals with osteoporosis. In a study of 680 participants, those using Wellen improved their lower body strength by 22.8 percent after completing 18 training sessions. Of the participants at high risk for falls at the beginning of the study, nearly 80 percent improved to average or above average.