After saying earlier this year that it would start deprioritizing its research into women’s health drugs, Bayer still appears willing to spend some money on developing its birth control implant portfolio.
The German pharmaceutical giant has inked a deal with CrossBay Medical, the makers of a device to help clinicians gain access to the uterus with considerably less pain compared to traditional methods.
Bayer said it believes the company’s low-friction CrossGlide technology could be adapted to help place its various intrauterine devices, or IUDs—including its Mirena, Kyleena and Skyla contraceptives, which slowly release the hormone levonorgestrel over a span of years.
CrossBay’s approach does away with the metal forceps and grasping of tissue that are typically needed to reach the inner uterus during a transvaginal procedure. The company’s CrossGlide platform instead relies on a flexible catheter that gently follows the natural curves of the cervical canal.
Its devices have previously been cleared by the FDA for use in gynecological exams such as endometrial biopsies, as well as for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfers. CrossBay has also worked with Hologic (PDF) to help develop its Definity cervical dilator.
Bayer’s deal aims to use CrossGlide to produce a new type of single-handed IUD inserter device, and includes an option to license the technology. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The partnership will also “result in adapting the manufacturing process and industrialization of the CrossGlide technology, building on Bayer’s expertise in the field specifically at the company’s state-of-the art production site in Turku, Finland,” the companies said in their announcement.
“We invented CrossGlide to help improve the insertion experience by creating a flexible system that follows the shape of a woman’s cervix. By doing this, we created a new paradigm for office-based procedures for both women and healthcare providers,” said CrossBay founder and CEO Piush Vidyarthi.
“We are partnering with Bayer as a market leader in intrauterine contraception as we believe more women will be better served using the CrossGlide technology and therefore provided one of the most effective birth control options for consideration,” Vidyarthi said.
This past March, Bayer said that it would no longer maintain its long-term, specialized focus on developing women’s health medication, instead directing its pharma R&D attention to core areas in cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurology, immunology and rare diseases.
However, the company did admit that it would continue work on developing the nonhormonal drug elinzanetant, currently in phase three trials for treating the vasomotor symptoms of menopause—a condition more commonly known as hot flashes—with a market that Bayer has predicted could bring blockbuster sales topping 1 billion euros.