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BGF invests USD12m in Pfizer-backed virtual oncology business Entia

Entia, a medical technology business, which recently announced a commercial partnership with Pfizer UK, has raised USD12 million in a funding round co-led by UK growth capital investor, BGF and growth fund manager, Parkwalk, with participation from existing seed investor Sussex Place Ventures.

The company will use the funds to launch Entia Liberty, a virtual oncology solution that allows patients to perform their own blood tests at home so remote healthcare teams can monitor and manage the haematological toxicity of cancer treatment. Over 50 per cent of systemic anti-cancer therapies cause haematological toxicity, management of which accounts for 8 per cent of all cancer treatment costs and leads to frequent and disruptive healthcare visits for patients.  
 
“Our approach at Entia is to empower patients with greater freedom whilst also equipping healthcare professionals with the insights to make more informed and personalised clinical decisions,” says founder and CEO, Dr Toby Basey-Fisher. “This funding will enable us to put Liberty in the hands of patients and prepare to meet growing international demand for our solution”.
 
Zahir Kasmani, investor at BGF, says: “We’re delighted to be making another investment in the UK’s pioneering and thriving healthcare sector, having recently broken the GBP100 million investment figure in life sciences businesses. Toby and the team have built a fantastic business with technology that is proven and already performing well in the market, providing efficient and accessible solutions for problems facing patients, clinicians, healthcare providers and insurers. Their ambition for future growth is really amazing and we’re excited to be part of the journey.”
 
Since founding the company in 2015, Entia has built partnerships with leading healthcare institutions such as The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, to pioneer the introduction of new remote care solutions. 
 
Moving healthcare services into the home has become a strategic priority not only for health systems but also pharmaceutical companies. Pfizer UK recently announced its partnership with Entia in which it has committed to make Entia’s virtual monitoring service available in the UK for metastatic breast cancer patients in 2022, following regulatory approval. 
 
At the heart of Entia’s Liberty service is a novel and easy-to-use blood analyser that allows patients to perform a suite of blood tests in their own home. It is initially launching with the capability to monitor haematological toxicity via a patient’s full blood count. Results are seamlessly shared with healthcare professionals via Entia’s cloud network and integration tools. This approach creates new insights into how individuals are responding to care and subsequently may enable more personalised decisions to mitigate life-threatening complications. 

Prior to this new investment, Entia has raised over USD13 million to date, including major investment from Innovate UK as part of its Biomedical Catalyst programme.

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